The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Episode 141, ‘Deadly Sins’ with Elizabeth Oldfield (Part I - Fully Alive)

Mar 23, 2025

Elizabeth Oldfield, a writer, speaker, and host of The Sacred podcast, delves into the significance of the seven deadly sins, not as mere failings but as barriers to flourishing. She explores how these ancient concepts can illuminate modern disconnection and moral crises. The discussion spans the intersection of philosophy and spirituality, reflecting on personal journeys of meaning and transformation. Oldfield argues for deeper community connections and a refreshed understanding of ethics, urging listeners to reconsider the relevance of sin in today's fast-paced world.

37:29

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Elizabeth Oldfield

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Quick takeaways

The seven deadly sins serve not merely as moral failings but as habits that undermine our ability to thrive and love authentically.

Engaging with the complexities of morality and community can foster understanding and inclusivity, challenging traditional ethical frameworks for greater compassion.

Deep dives

Relational Ethics and the Seven Deadly Sins

Ethics are fundamentally relational, focusing on how we treat others and the world around us, which shapes our identities. The concept of the seven deadly sins—pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth—originates from Christian traditions but serves as more than mere moral evaluations. These sins are described as habits that hinder our ability to thrive and love authentically, as they create disconnection in our lives. By reflecting on these sins today, individuals can confront the pervasive crises of meaning, encouraging deeper connections in a distracted world.

Intro

2min

Exploring Philosophy and Spirituality

15min

Rethinking Sin in Modern Society

5min

Navigating Ethics and Virtues

13min

Exploring Radical Simplicity and the Mystery Philosopher

2min

Much of ethics is relational: it’s about how we treat other people, the world around us, and how those relationships shape who we become. In philosophy, this often gets formalised as a set of virtues to cultivate, duties to obey, or harms to avoid. But today, we rarely talk about sins – let alone the seven deadly sins.

Historically rooted in the Christian tradition – pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth – have been understood not just as personal failings. They were taken seriously because they obscured what it meant to flourish: that is, to be fully alive. They are, fundamentally, habits of being that corrode our ability to love. So, what might we learn today from the seven deadly sins? How can these ancient categories illuminate our lives, in a world marked by disconnection and distraction?

In this episode, we’ll be speaking about the seven sins with Elizabeth Oldfield. Elizabeth is a writer, speaker, host of The Sacred podcast, and the former director of Theos Think Tank. In her recent book Fully Alive, she revives the seven deadly sins – not as a tool for moral condemnation, but as a lens through which to examine our practices and principles.

We’ll be talking with Elizabeth about how sin, properly understood, can help us confront the crisis of meaning and the collapse of community. We’ll also explore her Christian vision of moral transformation and why it’s vital to believers and non-believers alike.

Links

Elizabeth Oldfield, Website

Elizabeth Oldfield, Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times

Jules Evans on Psychedelics

Sarah Stein Lubrano, Don't Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds