10% Happier with Dan Harris

Ancient Secrets to Modern Happiness | Tamar Gendler

Dec 11, 2023

Tamar Gendler, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale University, discusses the tension between our animal and intellectual nature, defining concepts like virtue and morality, the relationship between ancient Greek philosophy and Buddhism, and how she applies these principles to her own life. Exploring the wisdom of ancient philosophers, the podcast offers insights on eudaimonia, understanding human nature, self-knowledge, misconceptions about happiness, habits, and applying Epictetus' teachings.

01:21:25

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Episode guests

Tamar Gendler

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Quick takeaways

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.

Tactics to Deal with the Human Condition from the Iliad

01:35

Efficient allocation of effort and control over responses

01:16

Understanding Eudaimonia and the concept of Daimon

00:49

The Concept of Soul in Different Cultures and Philosophical Traditions

01:30

Introduction

2min

Gifts, Airbnb, and Prime: Anecdotes and Sponsor Mentions

3min

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Lives

11min

Eudaimonia: The Condition of the Soul

13min

Understanding Human Nature: A Framework

5min

Exploring Socratic Insight and Humility

22min

Misunderstanding Happiness

5min

Habits: Adaptive and Non-adaptive

27min

Applying Epictetus' Teachings to Navigate Life's Challenges

2min

10.

Wrapping up the Conversation and Introducing Sponsors

3min

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

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10% Happier with Dan Harris

Ancient Secrets to Modern Happiness | Tamar Gendler

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Observation of Socrates

Tactic 1: Habituate (Aristotle)

Tactic 2: Situate (The Odyssey)

Tactic 3: Attach (The Iliad)

Tactic 4: Detach (Epictetus)

Overall Framework

Understanding the concept of self in Buddhism and Greek philosophy

The four tactics for dealing with the complexities of human nature

Tactics to Deal with the Human Condition from the Iliad

Efficient allocation of effort and control over responses

Understanding Eudaimonia and the concept of Daimon

The Concept of Soul in Different Cultures and Philosophical Traditions

Get the Snipd
podcast app

AI-powered
podcast player

Discover
highlights

Save any
moment

Share
& Export

AI-powered
podcast player

Discover
highlights

10% Happier with Dan Harris

Ancient Secrets to Modern Happiness | Tamar Gendler

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Observation of Socrates

Tactic 1: Habituate (Aristotle)

Tactic 2: Situate (The Odyssey)

Tactic 3: Attach (The Iliad)

Tactic 4: Detach (Epictetus)

Overall Framework

Understanding the concept of self in Buddhism and Greek philosophy

The four tactics for dealing with the complexities of human nature

Tactics to Deal with the Human Condition from the Iliad

Efficient allocation of effort and control over responses

Understanding Eudaimonia and the concept of Daimon

The Concept of Soul in Different Cultures and Philosophical Traditions

Get the Snipdpodcast app

AI-poweredpodcast player

Discoverhighlights

Save anymoment

Share& Export

AI-poweredpodcast player

Discoverhighlights

Get the Snipd
podcast app

AI-powered
podcast player

Discover
highlights

Save any
moment

Share
& Export

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podcast player

Discover
highlights