Ancient Secrets to Modern Happiness | Tamar Gendler
Dec 4, 2023
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Tamar Gendler, Dean at Yale and a distinguished professor, dives into ancient Greek philosophy's relevance in modern life. She explores the tension between our animal instincts and intellectual aspirations. Gendler discusses how concepts like virtue and morality intertwine with happiness, drawing parallels to Buddhism. She shares insights on navigating life's complexities and the quest for meaningful connections, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and practical wisdom for personal growth.
Recognize the limits of self-knowledge and practice humility for personal growth.
Develop context-specific habits aligned with virtues to promote moral actions.
Create environments and cultivate social connections that reinforce desired habits.
Accept the difference between what can and cannot be controlled, directing efforts towards the former for happiness and virtuous living.
Deep dives
Observation of Socrates
Socrates observed that we are fundamentally unknown to, and unknowable by ourselves. He emphasized the importance of recognizing the limits of self-knowledge and the need for humility.
Tactic 1: Habituate (Aristotle)
Habituate involves creating good habits that align with virtues. It emphasizes the importance of developing habits that support moral actions and values, while being aware that habits should be context-specific and adaptable to different situations.
Tactic 2: Situate (The Odyssey)
Situate involves surrounding ourselves with environments and situations that support and reinforce our desired habits. It encourages us to exploit the social nature of human beings and leverage social connections to shape our behaviors.
Tactic 3: Attach (The Iliad)
Attach emphasizes the power of belonging to a community and the role of social connections in shaping our behavior. It recognizes the influence of love, friendship, and social dynamics in promoting moral actions and positive values.
Tactic 4: Detach (Epictetus)
Detach focuses on accepting and understanding the difference between what is within our control and what is not. It encourages us to direct our efforts towards the things that we can change, letting go of the desire to control things beyond our control.
Overall Framework
The framework highlights the importance of self-awareness, the cultivation of good habits, the influence of social environments, and the recognition of personal agency and detachment from uncontrollable factors in achieving happiness and living a virtuous life.
Understanding the concept of self in Buddhism and Greek philosophy
Buddhism believes that there is no self, viewing it as an illusion that obstructs enlightenment. On the other hand, ancient Greek philosophers like Plato propose the existence of a self, considering it as an entity comprised of different parts, such as reason, spirit, and appetite.
The four tactics for dealing with the complexities of human nature
To navigate the complexities of human nature, four tactics are suggested: habituate, situate, attach, and detach. Habituation involves developing habits through practice, while situation focuses on creating beneficial contexts. Attachment emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with motivating influences, and detachment involves recognizing that our responses to the world are within our control and can be reevaluated. These tactics can cultivate virtues, aid personal growth, and contribute to overall well-being.
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What the ancient Greek philosophers discovered about how to do life better.
Tamar Gendler is dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University. Her Open Yale course “Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature” has hundreds of thousands of views. An updated version of this course will be available on the Coursera website this spring.
In this episode we talk about:
The tension between our animal nature and our spiritual/intellectual nature
How to define concepts such as “virtue”, “morality” and “the soul”
Whether living a moral life actually makes you happy
The similarities and differences between ancient Greek philosophy & Buddhism
And how Tamar has applied all of this to her own life
