Learning to Live, Not Just to Think: How Philosophy is Changing Lives at Notre Dame

This post is an abridged version of a paper in a special issue of AAPT Studies in Pedagogy. That paper was co-authored by Evan Dutmer, Haley Dutmer, Blake Ziegler, and Paul Blaschko.

What’s the point of studying philosophy? Is it to become an academic philosopher? Or, could it be about learning to live a better life?

A growing number of philosophy educators, ourselves included, believe that the latter is the true goal of the discipline. We propose that the teaching of philosophy—especially for undergraduates—should focus less on inculcating students in the norms of academic professionalism and more on the possibilities of positive life transformation presented by the study of applied, engaged philosophy. These sentiments have led to the rise of a new pedagogical approach known as ‘Philosophy as a Way of Life’ (PWOL).

To illustrate this innovative approach, we can use, as a case study, a popular course we teach at the University of Notre Dame called ‘God and the Good Life’ (GGL). Created in 2015 by one of the authors of this piece and a colleague at Notre Dame, GGL embodies the PWOL approach to teach students how to live philosophically, regardless of whether they continue with further philosophical studies.

The GGL course is based on the philosophical and pedagogical insights from various figures, including—most centrally—Pierre Hadot. Hadot is often credited with “rediscovering” Philosophy as a Way of Life, something he claims was pervasive in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. Using this perspective, GGL aims to promote personal transformation in our students using the tools of philosophy.

So, what sets the GGL course apart? What makes it unique? There are four central components to GGL: i) transformative learning goals, ii) immersive experiences, iii) deep, authentic connections to students’ everyday lives, and iv) cooperative relationships within a dialogue community.

These components contrast with the traditional ‘signature pedagogy’ model, often applied in required courses in various disciplines. This approach was identified by educational psychologist Lee S. Shulman and has been applied to PWOL in depth by Jake Wright in recent articles. On this paradigm, introductory courses seek to shape students into ideal disciplinary professionals, training them to think, perform, and act within the context of their chosen field. It could be viewed as a model of teaching focused primarily on imposing the standards of a field onto its newcomers. The unique learning needs of the newcomers—and their own professed goals—are secondary to this overarching concern of producing new professionals.

GGL, on the other hand, is guided by a very different foundational belief about the possibilities of philosophy. Rather than viewing philosophy as just an academic discipline, it is, in the words of Pierre Hadot, “an invitation to each human being to transform himself.” This transformative learning objective is the first unique component of the GGL approach, which challenges students to rethink their worldview and the idea of a good life based on what they learn throughout the GGL experience.

The second distinctive component is immersive experiences. These are activities that place students within different philosophical worldviews, allowing them to grasp the principles and applications of each. Students do this by genuinely engaging in the thought and life patterns that might result from different philosophical systems—not just reading about them. This ‘live life as a philosopher’ experience encourages students to apply philosophy to their lives, resulting in experiences richer and more robustly contextualized than the traditional philosophy lecture.

The third element is the course’s focus on personal relevance for each and every GGL student. The material studied in GGL is used by students to navigate their unique, distinctive paths to the good life in their own current life contexts. They apply the philosophies they learn to their daily experiences, encouraging a deeper connection and understanding of the content.

The last unique aspect of the GGL approach is its fostering of intentional dialogue communities. Students engage in carefully structured, student-led group discussions to explore the application of course material to everyday life. These interactions often lead to spontaneous collaborative insights, the discovery of shared principles and common ground, and the development of a genuine philosophical community that often persists even after the semester wraps up.

The ultimate goal of GGL, then, is not merely to teach philosophy as an academic discipline (though we also believe our course prepares our students well for additional philosophy offerings at Notre Dame), but to use philosophy as a transformative tool, aiding students in their journey toward a good life. In this way, we seek, along with Pierre Hadot, “to form more than to inform.”

What does this look like in practice?

 Exploring the Pedagogy of God and the Good Life

GGL enrolls around 900 to 1200 students annually, impacting the educational journey of most Notre Dame students. GGL starts by offering students a guiding “Course Vision.” This vision moves beyond simple course objectives; it sets the tone for the entire course, outlining the values that shape the course’s design, assignments, assessments, and student coaching. This vision—beyond a list of readings or figures—centers on developing philosophical virtues like curiosity, intellectual courage, and charitable interpretation and instilling skills like critical thinking and reasoned argumentation as the sorts of things students will need to answer life’s most profound questions.

GGL’s immersive learning experiences exemplify the course’s commitment to respecting the ways in which we learn best when we build from our existing experiences. Situated learning and cognition, key principles from educational psychology, help guide GGL’s commitment to providing opportunities for students to reflect on context-rich, meaningful, real-world experiences using philosophical concepts and ideas. Rather than overloading students with thought experiments far divorced from daily life, GGL asks students to reflect on their own lives, finding possible connections between the learning and their daily lives at Notre Dame. Applying Aristotle’s virtue theory to a complicated interpersonal misunderstanding in the dorm isn’t ‘diluting’ his philosophy—rather, it shows its continued relevance. In this way, the course encourages students to reflect on philosophical texts and concepts in a way that resonates with their personal lives, honoring the fact that these young people learn (as we all do) in a highly situated and contextualized way.

Recognizing that GGL students are complex human beings navigating a challenging phase of life (increasingly called ‘emerging adulthood’ based on Jeffrey Arnett’s research), GGL evidences additional features of educational psychology-informed course design in its online engagement. It extends its curriculum online through an intuitive, user-friendly website, which contains essential resources, including explainer videos, interactive digital essays, and a dynamic course calendar. By creating an engaging online environment, the course aims to reduce cognitive load keeping the focus on its transformative goals.

But the epitome of GGL’s commitment to both PWOL pedagogy and good, psychologically informed education is its capstone assignment, the “Philosophical Apology.” This exercise asks students to express their core beliefs regarding ethics, belief, religion, and the meaning of life in an argumentative apology, grounding these philosophical ideas in their own personal experiences, just as Socrates did nearly 2500 years ago. Students need to defend their answers to each of these core questions that guided the entire course: What are your moral obligations? What should you believe? Should you practice a religion? What will it take for your life to be meaningful? This assignment embodies the essence of transformative education, which presumes education as continuous personal growth and intellectual development, directly applied to one’s own real life.

Moreover, GGL thrives on fostering an intentional intellectual community of dialogue, evident in its innovative “Dialogue Groups.” These groups, facilitated by trained undergraduate peer-dialogue leaders, allow students to engage in robust philosophical discussion in an accessible, peer-led way, encounter new perspectives, and cultivate healthy dialogue skills.

The collaborative approach to learning serves as a powerful tool to create “communities of practice,” another touchpoint between our work and contemporary educational theory, where students learn not just from the ‘expert’ professors and TAs, but also from their experienced peers. This mutual support and learning environment help initiate learners into the tradition and practice of philosophical dialogue.

Redefining Philosophy Education through GGL

The God and the Good Life course at the University of Notre Dame illustrates a paradigm shift in philosophy teaching from traditional pedagogical methods to a more transformative, immersive, and participatory approach. Its focus on the practical applicability of philosophical concepts encourages students to find philosophy relevant and applicable to their everyday lives.

Through innovative learning strategies like the Philosophical Apology summative assessment and peer-led Dialogue Groups, GGL empowers students to actively engage in the learning process, fostering an intellectual community that goes beyond the typical hierarchical professor-student relationship.

GGL’s transformative pedagogy demonstrates the potential of philosophy to inspire curiosity, intellectual growth, and personal development, extending beyond the classroom and into the lives of students. Its approach serves as a model for other courses and institutions, opening up new horizons for teaching philosophy in the twenty-first century.

Blake Ziegler

Blake Ziegler is a distinguished graduate of the University of Notre Dame with majors in political science and philosophy. Currently, he teaches social studies and coding at The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men in New Orleans, employing innovative pedagogical techniques. As Director of Student Life, he oversees student clubs and organizations. Blake's primary research interest is the intersection of religion and politics, particularly from Jewish perspectives. A dedicated Jewish advocate and debate coach, he champions interfaith solidarity. Looking ahead, Blake plans to pursue a Ph.D. in political science, integrating his passions for politics and religion in academia.

Evan Dutmer

Evan Dutmer is Senior Instructor in Ethics and Curriculum Leader for the Department of Leadership Education at Culver Academies, a boarding school in Northern Indiana. From 2018-2022 he also served as Instructor in Latin and Ancient Mediterranean Cultures. His main teaching interests lie in ancient philosophy, character education, leadership studies, virtue ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of well-being. He received his PhD in Ancient Philosophy from Northwestern University in 2019. His academic work has been accepted for publication in several peer-reviewed journals.  He is the 2020 Indiana Classical Conference Teacher of the Year, Rising Star and served as President of the Indiana Classical Conference in 2021-22. He was shortlisted for the 2021 Cambridge University Press Dedicated Teacher Awards (top 60 dossiers out of 13,000 global nominations). In 2021 and 2022 he secured Pedagogy Awards from the Society for Classical Studies for a local outreach initiative called the ‘Culver Ancient Schoolroom’. At Culver Academies, he received the Delmar T. Spivey Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2021 and the Ralph Manuel Award in 2022. He also co-leads the Unitarian Universalist Service in the Department of Spiritual Life at Culver Academies. 

Haley Dutmer

Haley Dutmer is a learning coach at Culver Academies. Her research areas are in philosophy of education, character education, and virtue ethics. She earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame with a certificate in Community Engagement and Public Scholarship. While at Notre Dame, Haley worked in educational development as a graduate associate with the Notre Dame Learning | Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence.

Paul Blaschko

Paul Blaschko is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where he teaches courses he’s designed on big questions and the philosophy of work. He recently co-authored a book published by Penguin Press about how philosophy can help us live better lives, and his new book on work and the good life will be published by Princeton University Press in 2025. Blaschko directs a program in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters devoted to exploring how the humanities can help us find meaning in work, and regularly consults with professors across the country about how to create better, more innovative philosophy courses. Embarrassingly, perhaps, he also does quite a bit of philosophy of TikTok.

Wes Siscoe

Wes Siscoe is a Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Florida State University and the Mellon Course Design Coordinator for the Philosophy as a Way of Life Projectat the University of Notre Dame. He received his PhD from the University of Arizona and has been a visiting researcher at Brown, Notre Dame, and Rutgers.  His research revolves around several themes – rationality, language, and virtue – and their importance for accounts of human excellence and achievement.