Striving to make yourself a thing of beauty, to excel in various aspects of life for its own sake rather than for external rewards. Acts of kindness and goodness should be done not out of guilt but because they are beautiful things to do. Not everything in life should be done with a utilitarian purpose; there is value in doing things for their intrinsic beauty and satisfaction, rather than for their usefulness to achieve something else.
Leon Kass, long-time teacher of classic works at the University of Chicago and now Dean of Faculty at Shalem College in Jerusalem, talks about human flourishing with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Drawing on an essay from his book, Leading a Worthy Life, Kass gives a broad overview of Aristotle's ideas on how to live.
This episode also discusses the listeners' votes for their Top 10 EconTalk podcast episodes for 2020.