MasterClass Launches Class on Philosophy with Dr. Cornel West

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2021  -- MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world's best across a wide range of subjects, today announced that professor, author, political activist and Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy at Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Cornel West will teach a class on philosophy. In his class, West shares his knowledge and perspective on topics ranging from humanity, love, courage and death, as well as how members can apply philosophical reflection to help them navigate their everyday interactions and become deeper thinkers. West's class is now available exclusively on MasterClass, where subscribers get unlimited access to all 150+ instructors with an annual membership.

"As one of the world's most provocative thinkers and intellectuals, Dr. West has challenged humans across the world with what it means to be human," said David Rogier, CEO of MasterClass. "His class offers a new critical way of thinking that will open doors to new ideas and heighten meanings for all members who want to better understand their relationship with humanity and purpose on Earth."

For West, philosophy is a joyful adventure of wrestling with profound questions that have no clear answers. In his class, he will offer critical ways of thinking that will challenge members to look at the world through a different lens. West will guide members through the early history of the Western philosophical tradition, share ideas from other deep thinkers and offer his personal perspective on what's required to think like a philosopher. He will explore three main themes, starting with the key question of what it means to be human and how to understand humanity by understanding oneself. Building on this foundation, he will take members through the quest for wisdom and the various forms of love—and how humans are impacted by it. He will also share the deep connection between philosophy and music, how music enacts the quest for truth, beauty and the good. Members will leave with an appreciation of the role of philosophy in promoting the courage to think, love and hope. 

"Philosophy challenges us to see differently, feel more deeply and act more courageously," West said. "My hope is that members will develop a new lens through which to view themselves and become more conscious human beings and that they can become introspective of their own journey and how they interact with others."

Cornel West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy at Union Theological Seminary and teaches on the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as courses in philosophy of religion, African American critical thought, and a wide range of subjects, including the classics, philosophy, politics, cultural theory, literature and music. He is the former University Professor at Harvard University and University Professor emeritus at Princeton University. West graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his master's and doctoral degrees in philosophy at Princeton. West has written 20 books and edited 13, best known for his classics Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His most recent book, Black Prophetic Fire, offers an unflinching look at 19th and 20th-century African American leaders and their visionary legacies. West is a frequent guest on CNN, C-Span and Democracy Now. He has a passion for communicating to a vast variety of audiences in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.—a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.

Additionally, West contributed to the MasterClass thematic class on empathy and will be a featured instructor in an upcoming class on Black History, Black Freedom and Black Love launching in December.