It’s the End of the World as We Know It!

You have just survived the apocalypse. Was it global warming that finally caught up with us or did “peak oil” negate our energy-dependent lifestyle? Did our debt levels, general environmental degradation, or political conflicts send us over the edge? What about nuclear proliferation or that latest pandemic on CNN? The survivors ask how we got here and what’s left to salvage.

Every day we hear stories about our society being just one moment or misstep away from destruction. What attracts us to such “end time” narratives? Is the prevalence of such stories unique to our time and place or have they been a dominant story of all human societies? In this FYP, we will examine multiple apocalyptic claims, analyzing the assumptions, details, and evidence offered up in these narratives. We will look to the fields of history, psychology, philosophy, and religion to see these disciplines’ treatment of end time stories. We’ll also see how scholars wrestle with the question of whether humans are preternaturally disposed to revel in stories of their own potential doom. The class will proceed to consider another possibility—that we are often overly optimistic and should be paying closer attention to global threats. Perhaps we should even be listening to “preppers,” who actively prepare for impending civil chaos. This “doomed” course will end on a hopeful note, as we discuss examples of people’s resilience in response to existential threats, catastrophes, and great setbacks throughout history.