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Event—Adult Education

The Philosophy of Anxiety

Jun 18, 2020

Our so-called “age of anxiety” is also the age that, much to its peril, has dismissed philosophy as neither a worthwhile academic pursuit nor a guide to living well. But anxiety (and how to deal with it) has been one of the most enduring subjects of analysis for philosophers ranging from Epictetus and Kierkegaard to Heidegger and Lacan.

As a precaution to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Adult Education Seminars Program’s Summer 2020 term will be moving online. Virtual seminars will meet via Zoom video conference and will use email and Google Drive folders to share resources and communicate with instructors and participants. For more information about the Newberry’s virtual seminars and these tools, including a Zoom tutorial, please see our Virtual Seminars FAQ page. If you have questions about online learning, please feel free to reach out to seminars@newberry.org.

For more information about the Newberry’s response to COVID-19 please visit www.newberry.org/covid19.

Seminar Description

Our so-called “age of anxiety” is also the age that, much to its peril, has dismissed philosophy as neither a worthwhile academic pursuit nor a guide to living well. But anxiety (and how to deal with it) has been one of the most enduring subjects of analysis for philosophers ranging from Epictetus and Kierkegaard to Heidegger and Lacan. This course will ask: why is anxiety a philosophical problem, and how might philosophy help combat our anxiety?

One session. Registration – $30

Harrison Sherrod manages a film production company by day and teaches seminars at the Newberry by night. He has led courses on everything from metaphysical detectives and con games to Star Wars and Marxism.

This seminar is part of a special series examining humanities contexts for pandemics past and present. Explore the other seminars in the series, including Familiar Strains, Chords, and Dischords: Musical Echoes from the 1918 Pandemic, Baseball in Cultural Crises, Utopias, and Arts of Dying: The Visual Culture of the Black Death in Medieval Europe.

Materials List

Required:

  • There are no required materials for this class.

First Reading:

  • For this seminar, please read Epictetus's The Enchiridion (which can also be found in the Penguin edition of Discourses and Selected Writings translated by Robert Dobbin) and "Difficulties" from Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy (a digital version of this reading will be included in the registration confirmation email).

Registration Information

Online registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Wednesday, June 3.

Please note: Due to COVID-19, the Adult Education Seminars staff is working remotely and will be unable to process registration over the phone. For more information about registration, including a guide to online registration, see our Registration Information page. Questions? Please contact seminars program staff via email at seminars@newberry.org.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

This seminar has reached capacity. Please email seminars@newberry.org to be added to the wait list.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies, or teaching a seminar.