Seminar: "Lost in the Cosmos: On Sadness, Laughter, and the Self" with Dr. Ryan Womack
Tue, Apr 09
|Stumberg Hall
Why, in the midst of plenty, are we so often sad? How, in the midst of sadness, can we laugh? Please join Dr. Womack for this 4-week seminar exploring the complexities of the self, guided by Walker Percy's satirical self-help book, Lost in the Cosmos (1985).


Time & Location
Apr 09, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Stumberg Hall, 3206 Fairfax Walk, Austin, TX 78705, USA
About The Event
Why, in the midst of plenty, are we so often sad? How, in the midst of sadness, can we laugh? While we explore the expansive cosmos, "We are unknown, we knowers, to ourselves," as Friedrich Nietzsche wrote. Built into the mysteries of the self are the possibilities of laughter, gratitude, and what Walker Percy called "the search". Please join Dr. Womack for this 4-week seminar exploring the complexities of the self, guided by Walker Percy's satirical self-help book, Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book (1985). Snacks and refreshments will be provided, so please let us know you're coming.
***Participants are encouraged to buy Percy's text.
Week one: Diagnosing the Modern Malaise
Week two: The Meaning of Sadness
Week three: The Soul of Laughter
Week four: The Self and other Selves