A Life Well Lived Is a Death Is Harder

5min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

i think a life well lived will make your upward swing of the ew even better. For me, as i've gotten older, i enjoy bitter sweet more than sweet. There's something the poignance of death adds a richness to datod a life. The idea that we should try to colonize space or work with a somewhat smaller population would be a good idea. I don't know if i could inhabit the immortal perspective and appreciate it properly. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

John Stuart Mill's midlife crisis came at 20 when he realized that if he got what he desired he still wouldn't be happy. Art and poetry (and maybe love) saved the day for him. In this week's episode, philosopher Kieran Setiya of MIT talks about his book Midlife with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Setiya argues we can learn from Mill to help deal with the ennui to which so many midlifers succumb--along with regrets for roads not taken and wistfulness for what could have been. Setiya argues that a well-lived life needs fewer projects and more pursuits that don't have goals or endpoints. He explains why past mistakes can turn out to be good things and how lost chances can help us appreciate the richness of life.