This is a course about living and dying well. We speak of living and dying well because living and dying are ongoing and contemporaneous in each of us, and we've evidence that acknowledging both is essential to doing either well. We choose this metric because we've evidence that it's shared by most, perhaps all people and that it encompasses most, perhaps all human concerns.

Humans live and die well by discerning and realizing value, by knowing what we want and getting it. Because we are evolving organisms in a dynamic environment what we value, ends and means of our lives, also changes. We live in an era of unprecedentedly rapid, large, and novel alterations—many results of human action—to society, to other parts of nature, to artifact fashioned from nature, and to information accumulated by humans. Today more than ever before we live and die well by cultivating proficiency in bringing to awareness, questioning, and evolving to be more accurate information about value, especially ideas about how we can know and realize value.

This course is an opportunity to bring information from many disciplines to bear upon three central questions of our lives: "What do I want?" "How can I get it?" and most importantly, "How do I know?" We frequently ask the first two questions about everything from big choices like career and marriage to little ones like what we'll eat for lunch today. We ask the third far less often. Perils of this are obvious. If we rely upon flawed means of knowing, what we think we know is more likely error.

 

All of us have experienced getting what we thought we wanted and feeling disappointed, and all of us have sometimes done what we thought sufficient and come up short. Again and again we think we know how to feel satisfaction only to discover that we're mistaken. With current approaches to value we repeatedly generate overconfidence and error. Though we work to learn from mistakes, we rarely delve deep enough to re-examine methods on which we rely to address questions of value. Even when we ask, "How do I know," we're often quick to answer with long-held, well-practiced justifications yet to be critically scrutinized to their roots, and poorly able to withstand such scrutiny.

 

 

 

We then present a case for valuescience, and apply it to achieve more accurate understanding of human history, present condition, and prospects, and to know better what we want and to get it. We pay particular attention to perceptual, cognitive, and cultural impediments to valuescience, and to strategies for overcoming these, and we offer opportunity to practice doing so. If you are engaged or want to engage in such inquiry and practice, we welcome your partnership in valuescience.

We aim for each participant to learn to write and speak cogently about each of the following topics, evidencing some familiarity with historical and contemporary trends and events as described in published works of others, and demonstrating independent thought grounded at least to some degree in personal practice:

 

:(1) State a valuescience thesis, beginning with definitions of “value” and “science” to emphasize their nexus, prediction, and concluding with an argument based upon evidence and reason that science is sole demonstrated means to more accurately discern and more fully realize value.

:(2) Outline key elements of world-view common today with reference to their historical roots, methods by which they are promulgated and reinforced, interests served by their persistence, conflicts with science, and consequences for human well-being.

:(3) Describe how emergent consilience of natural science, social science, and humanities can be basis for constructing a more accurate world-view, for shedding illusion about value and contributing to others' doing so, and for thereby improving our and their lives.

:(4) Outline key elements of a consilient science-based world-view and give examples of how you have relied upon it, how you can rely more heavily upon it, and how you can contribute to others' relying more heavily upon it to live and die well.

*'''Time:''' T/Th, 10:30-11:50

*'''Students with Documented Disabilities:''' Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is being made. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk. Phone: (650) 723-1066, URL: [http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae]

*'''Instructor:''' [[David Schrom]] (dschrom@ {stanford})

*'''Assistants:''' [[Robin Bayer]] (robin@ {ecomagic.org}), ([[Nick Enge]] (nickenge@ {stanford}), [[Hilary Hug]] (hilary@ {ecomagic.org}), [[Andrew Nepomuceno]] (andrew.nepo@ {gmail}), [[Toan Tran]] (dtoan@ {alumni.stanford})

Please use your People Page to tell us about yourself and why you're taking the class, and to post writing, lab reports, and anything else you want to share. Only teaching team members and students from the current quarter can see your people pages (as long as <nowiki>[[Category:Spring16]]</nowiki> is on the bottom of your page. In addition, you may submit writing anonymously (with your name known only by teaching team members). Click here to find your page: [[People]]. Please let Andrew know if you have any questions or concerns about the site.

== Questions and Resources ==

We've constructed this course around questions. Many are too broad to address in a single class meeting, and some merit attention for a lifetime. In the course outline below you will find primary and subordinate questions for class meetings. We encourage you to bring forward your own questions. You can find a comprehensive (short of exhaustive) list of questions you may be asked on the final here: [[Final Exam Questions]]

To afford a common basis for responding to questions we offer core resources which may include texts, videos, podcasts, or other media. Prior to each class meeting please complete those listed on the [[Next Class]] page (or alternatives to which the instructor has consented) so that you'll be prepared to learn and contribute to others' learning as we discuss their contents, and apply them to cases and problems during class meetings. Resources are available online. You can access materials assigned for this course without purchasing anything.

For most topics, we've assembled additional materials to facilitate your exploring more fully ideas you've encountered in core resources and class meetings. In past quarters, each course participant has found at least some of these worthwhile, and many have introduced us to items new to us that we now offer you. We welcome suggestions for improving and augmenting this collection.

This course is very much a work in progress. We revise it between quarters, and we alter it during quarters we teach as we became more familiar with current enrollees' backgrounds and interests. You can rely upon [[Next Class]] page entries to reflect all changes to date.

While valuescientists confront a number of challenges, some of which to date have proven intractable (e.g., finding a biophysical value metric), our most common and most limiting impediment to honing valuescience practice is identification of self with ideas incompatible with a scientific approach to value. Shedding these is doubly difficult because they are in substantial part a result of intense and incessant indoctrination to which we've become so desensitized as to take it for granted if we are aware of it at all.  

Learning together in an atmosphere of mutual support and trust we are better able to set aside long and closely held ideas and consider others. Teaching team and students in this course can create a sangha, a community of valuescience practice. If you've prepared thoughts and questions about a day's questions and resources, you're better able to learn and to further others' learning. You are welcome to prepare with others. We aim to afford each student ample opportunity to contribute. Class contribution comprises 25% of your grade (20% if you're enrolled in lab).

If a member of the teaching team considers you ill-prepared, s/he may request that you write to receive full credit for class participation. If you choose to do this, please post such writing on your People page with a header: "UNPREPARED CLASS [date]."

If you plan to miss a class, please email robin@ {ecomagic}. To receive credit for classes that you miss, in addition to completing the regular assignments for that day you devote an equivalent of one class period to writing with reference to core readings responses to syllabus questions for that day. Please post such writings on your People page with a header: "MISSED CLASS [date]."

A satisfactory UNPREPARED CLASS or MISSED CLASS supplemental writing will consist of at least 400 words, respond to all syllabus questions for that class, and reference each core reading. Before undertaking a supplemental writing, please read [[Sample Supplemental Writing]]. You may consult with other people, including classmates; however, we want what we read in your writing to reflect your understanding. Write only what you can explain if asked to do so.

 With some questions we ask for very specific words, hoping that every student's response will be identical. With others we want to see evidence of how you've selected ideas pertinent to your circumstances and applied them to your benefit.

When you submit an UNPREPARED or MISSED CLASS writing, please email robin@ {ecomagic}. You can earn credit for writing only if we receive such an email notice prior to due date.

== Quizzes ==

We provide opportunity to demonstrate learning with brief weekly written and/or oral quizzes. Quiz formats and guidelines vary. Please read and follow instructions carefully. To score well on quizzes you'll be familiar with key ideas in core resources, and able to apply them to course questions. Quizzes comprise 25% of your grade (20% if you're enrolled in lab).

== Project(s) ==

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxngE8UAOIeBcU5DUFBTalg5dnc/edit Sample Video]

== Final Exam ==

In completing a final exam you may consult with other people, including classmates; however, we want what we read on your exam to reflect your understanding. Write only what you can explain if asked to do so.

 With some exam questions we ask for very specific words, hoping that every student's response will be identical. With others we want to see evidence of how you've selected ideas particularly pertinent to your circustances and applied them to your benefit.

*Write emails or letters of appreciation for an hour on each of two days

Choose a lab about which you can be wholehearted. Feel free to mix and match - you may choose to adopt one practice for ten weeks, or you may choose one for two weeks, another for two weeks, or different ones on different days of the week, etc.. Author a life you want with experiment(s) you deem well-suited to you. Please consider what keystone habit (see excerpt from "The Power of Habit" in class 1 resources, below) you might address in lab. For more ideas, see [[Shake Up Your Life]].

 

 

 

Lab comprises 20% of your grade. You can earn up to 100 lab points, which are divided by five to calculate a lab component of your grade. (e.g., Earn 85 lab points; receive 17% of a possible 20% towards your grade.) Lab points are awarded equally for a lab proposal (10 points) and for nine lab reports (10 points each) submitted weekly. Each week you can earn 1 point by submitting by 11pm Thursday, 1 point by logging your lab activities, 1 point by reflecting on your lab, 1 point by submitting a plan for next week, and 6 points for lab activity.

 

'''Late Lab Report''' You can submit a late lab report. Penalty for a late report is 1 of 10 possible points for each week or partial week past due (e.g., a report submitted 10 days late is penalized 2 points). If you submit a late report, please write "LATE LAB REPORT" as first line. If you neglect to submit a report at all, you will earn 0 of 10 possible points for that week's lab.

 

 

 

*25% Quizzes

*25% Classroom contribution

*25% Final exam

=== Participants Enrolled for 4 Units (Lab) ===

*20% Quizzes

*20% Classroom contribution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.    How We Arrived Here: The First 100,000 Years

 

 

 

 

 

17.    Evolving Analysis and Practice, Self and Society - Class 1 of 3

 

 

 

20.    Evolving Analysis and Practice, Self and Society (only in quarters where academic schedule includes 20 class meetings)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Wikipedia. (2009). "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs Link] 8 pp.

 

*Walker, Marshall. (1963). "A Survival Technique." ''Nature of Scientific Thought.'' pp.14-20. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By0w-ttO7JmrbGR1TkxiRVhSQTA/view?usp=sharing Link]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Buchmann, Stephen. "Our Vanishing Flowers." (16 October 2015.) ''NYTimes.'' - Buchmann sketches the history of human reliance upon flowering plants and reports that an estimated 68% of flowering plants are threatened or endangered. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By0w-ttO7JmrcG5nNFVHLVlGNVU/view?usp=sharing Link] '''3 pp., 5 min.'''