#789 Kieran Setiya - Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 17th 2023.
Dr. Kieran Setiya is Professor of Philosophy at MIT. He works mainly in ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. He is the author of Practical Knowledge, Reasons without Rationalism, Knowing Right From Wrong, and, more recently, Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way.

In this episode, we focus on Life Is Hard. We start by discussing the purpose of philosophy. We talk about what makes life hard, and we discuss if we should avoid hardship; complaining about hardship, and pitying other people; and what a life well lived is. We get into topics like physical disability and pain; loneliness; friendship; loss and grief; Stoicism; being a “failure”, and what “success” means; injustice; and the meaning of life. Finally, we discuss if argumentation can change people’s views on life.

Time Links:
00:00 Intro
00:30 The purpose of philosophy
03:00 What makes life hard?
08:41 Should we try to avoid hardship as much as possible?
10:56 Complaining about hardship, and pitying other people
18:16 What is a life well lived?
27:02 Physical disability and pain
33:05 Loneliness
37:20 Friendship
43:32 Loss and grief
46:19 Stoicism
50:08 Being a “failure”, and what “success” means
56:47 Injustice
59:12 The meaning of life
1:07:45 Can argumentation change people’s views on life?
1:12:31 Follow Dr. Setiya’s work!

Follow Dr. Setiya’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3E6rfUg
Website: https://bit.ly/3E6yWtw
PhilPeople profile: https://bit.ly/3v28H1U
Life Is Hard: https://bit.ly/3VfEY08