Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko, philosophy professors at the University of Notre Dame and co-authors of The Good Life Method, share their insights on living a fulfilling life through virtue ethics. They discuss the importance of engaging in meaningful conversations, asking strong questions, and understanding moral intentions. The duo explores the balance of love and work in achieving eudaimonia, emphasizing that deep attention is key. Listeners will love their take on integrating contemplation into daily life for greater personal growth and flourishing.
01:01:56
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Virtue Ethics
Virtue ethics is a 2,500-year-old philosophical self-improvement system.
It focuses on identifying motivating goals and developing traits that help you fulfill your function as a human.
insights INSIGHT
Human Flourishing
For Aristotle, human flourishing (eudaimonia) involves using reason to guide decisions about what constitutes a good life.
There are essential goods like friendship, but no fixed template for a good life.
insights INSIGHT
Essential Goods and Individual Circumstances
Aristotle believes in essential goods (like friendship) for a flourishing life.
However, how virtues manifest depends on individual circumstances.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning
Paul Blaschko
Meghan Sullivan
In 'The Good Life Method,' Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko draw from their influential undergraduate course 'God and the Good Life' to help readers wrestle with fundamental questions about living a meaningful life. The book applies timeless philosophical wisdom from figures like Aristotle, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Iris Murdoch, and W. E. B. Du Bois to real-world issues such as love, finance, truth, and more. It includes practical exercises and personal narratives to assist readers in exploring their deepest goals, suffering, the nature of death, and the existence of God.
After Virtue
Alistair McIntyre
Alasdair MacIntyre's "After Virtue" is a highly influential work in moral philosophy that critiques modern ethical theories and proposes a return to virtue ethics. MacIntyre argues that modern moral philosophy has lost its way, leading to a fragmented and incoherent understanding of morality. He traces the historical development of ethical thought, identifying the decline of virtue ethics and the rise of emotivism and other relativistic approaches. MacIntyre proposes a revival of virtue ethics grounded in the Aristotelian tradition, emphasizing the importance of character development and the cultivation of virtuous dispositions. His work has had a profound impact on contemporary ethical debates, inspiring renewed interest in virtue ethics and its application to various social and political issues.
The Road
Tom Stechschulte
Cormac McCarthy
The Road is set in a world that has been devastated by an unspecified cataclysmic event, resulting in the extinction of nearly all life on Earth. The story follows an unnamed father and his young son as they travel south along the road, carrying their meager possessions and a pistol with only two bullets. The father, suffering from a worsening respiratory condition, is determined to protect his son from the dangers of their new world, including cannibalistic marauders. Along their journey, they encounter various survivors, some of whom are cruel and others who show kindness. The novel explores themes of love, survival, and the preservation of humanity in a world devoid of hope. Ultimately, the father's health fails, and he dies, but not before ensuring his son's safety with a new family who may offer a chance for a better future[2][3][4].
Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle
The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle's most renowned work on ethics, focusing on the science of the good for human life. The text is divided into ten books and discusses the concept of eudaimonia, often translated as 'happiness' or 'flourishing,' which is achieved through living a virtuous life. Aristotle argues that eudaimonia is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue, emphasizing the importance of reason, moral virtues, and the pursuit of excellence. The work also explores the division of the soul, the role of rationality in human life, and the ultimate goal of human activity, which is to achieve happiness through virtuous actions and a complete life[1][2][4].
Most everyone wants to live a good, meaningful life, though we don't always know what that means and how to do it. Plenty of modern self-improvement programs claim to point people in the right direction, but many of the best answers were already offered more than two thousand years ago.
My guests have gleaned the cream of this orienting, ancient-yet-evergreen advice from history's philosophers and shared it in their new book, The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning. Their names are Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko, and they're professors of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Today on the show Meghan and Paul introduce us to the world of virtue ethics — an approach to philosophy that examines the nature of the good life, the values and habits that lead to excellence, and how to find and fulfill your purpose as a human being. We discuss how to seek truth with other people by asking them three levels of what they call "strong questions" and engaging in civil and fruitful dialogue. We then delve into why your intentions matter and why you should use "morally thick" language. We also examine the role that work and love has to play in pursuing the good life, and how the latter is very much about attention. We end our conversation with how a life of eudaimonia — full human flourishing — requires balancing action with contemplation.
The Art of Manliness 
