People sometimes think about their own lives in terms of an unfolding story and make sense of events in their lives by situating them within that narrative. Biographies, autobiographies, and fictions also present lives in narrative form. But what is the relation between a life as lived and the form of a narrative? Are our lives essentially story-shaped? Or could it be that we fundamentally misrepresent our lives when we think about them in this way? What determines whether the stories we tell ourselves are truthful and how strong is the tendency to self-deception? And how do we adapt when the stories we tell ourselves come undone?

This weekend intensive course will take place in person in Vancouver, Canada. You will be expected to have done the reading in advance, which will be provided when you register for the course. No prior training in philosophy is expected, but you will be required to read some moderately difficult texts on your own. University-level English reading skills will be an asset.