In this conversation, Kieran Setiya, an MIT professor and author, shares insights from his book 'Life is Hard.' He discusses how philosophy can provide practical tools for navigating life’s toughest moments, including midlife crises and feelings of regret. Setiya contrasts philosophical inquiry with modern self-help trends, urging a deeper understanding of happiness and fulfillment. He addresses the importance of embracing life's complexities and fostering genuine connections, all while encouraging listeners to accept both the joyful and painful aspects of existence.
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insights INSIGHT
Philosophy's Purpose
Philosophy addresses life's big questions that other disciplines cannot answer.
These questions, like how to live, are unavoidable yet lack easy solutions.
insights INSIGHT
Philosophy's Practicality
While some philosophical questions may not be essential to a good life, others, like how to live, are unavoidable.
People grapple with these daily and philosophy offers a way to explore them.
insights INSIGHT
Philosophy as Self-Help
Philosophy can be seen as a form of self-help, focusing on how to live a better life.
Unlike modern self-help, it's not solely focused on individual happiness.
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Published in 1859, 'Self-Help' by Samuel Smiles is a landmark in the self-help genre. The book advocates for personal responsibility and the virtues of hard work, industry, and character. It uses numerous biographical examples, including those of George Stephenson and Josiah Wedgwood, to illustrate how individuals can achieve success through their own efforts. The book was highly influential in Victorian Britain and beyond, selling over a quarter of a million copies by the time of Smiles' death in 1904. It has been translated into many languages and remains a significant text in the history of self-help literature.
How to Change
The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Katy Milkman
In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.
Midlife: A Philosophical Guide
Kieran Setiya
In *Midlife: A Philosophical Guide*, Kieran Setiya offers a unique perspective on coping with the challenges of middle age. Drawing on philosophical insights from Aristotle to Simone de Beauvoir, Setiya explores how to live in the present, find meaning in life, and reconcile oneself with past choices and future uncertainties. The book provides practical advice and philosophical consolations for dealing with mortality and the sense of futility that often accompanies midlife.
Life Is Hard
Malak Mohamad
The Sovereignty of Good
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Iris Murdoch
Philosophy may seem like a theoretical or abstract discipline in which unanswerable questions are debated to the point of tedium. But MIT professor Kieran Setiya believes that philosophical inquiry has a very practical and applicable purpose outside of the classroom — to help guide us through life’s most challenging circumstances. He joins Sean to talk about self-help, FOMO, and midlife crises.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Kieran Setiya. His book is called Life is Hard.
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