Instructor - George Owen

Course Fee - $25.00

This course opens with a short summary about the influence of Greek philosophy in general, emphasizing those aspects having to do with our everyday living with finding meaning and eudaimonia (flourishing, well-being, or basic happiness), even today. Some significant schools of the Greek philosophers are being much revived and incorporated into today's world. We especially study Epicureanism, Stoicism, and the Aristotelian way. We briefly examine how the Greek philosophies even contributed to the three main Western religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and especially to the Roman Catholic Church through incorporation into the works of Catholic top theologians Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. These philosophies live on today and into our modern world - Thomas Jefferson in later year confessed to being an Epicurean and 1992 vice presidential candidate James Stockwell lived and promoted Stoicism, etc. Join us for a good, quick overview of all this from the past for your life today with even light lunch after class in the adjoining lounge for those so choosing. The overall purpose and goal of the course: To explore more and perhaps better meaning for your life in our current distraught world situation with contributions from the ancient Greek philosophies!

George Owen acquired bits and pieces of Greek philosophy in both his collegiate undergraduate and graduate studies (never majored in it) but began really studying it more intensely in later life. A father with former wife Sandy of two sons and grandfather of four grandchildren, he has mostly taught ICL courses on the outdoors and hiking in the Southern Appalachians and northern Florida, and also on the modern search for happiness. He is an avid hiker and trail builder, having laid out and constructed over 125 miles of trails on the Chattahoochee National Forest for almost sixty years. Vocationally he was first in the hospital administrative field, then over a quarter century served as a United Methodist and Unitarian-Universalist pastor.