Wisdom for Life (Wisdom for Life)

In this twelfth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the recent nationwide protests over police misconduct and aggression towards African-American citizens, and the variety of police responses to these.  They look at the assessment that we are witnessing and taking part in an important historical event, during which a genuinely popular movement starts a course towards reform of policing in America.  They also focus the discussion on the ethical dimensions of protest and policing. In the course of the discussion, they examine the difference between negative and positive peace, the types of injustices that have resulted from racism and the application of police force, whether one can remain “on the fence”, the uses made of Martin Luther King as a symbol and as a thinker, and why excessive police responses to protest are likely to be counter-productive in the long run. They end the show by discussing how listeners might get involved in activism focused on these matters, whether they are able to do so physically or by other means.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

In this eighth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss one main challenge to personal development within relationships.  How does one balance one’s own autonomy – and respect for the autonomy of others – with the desire for genuine connection within the framework of relationships.  It might appear that the two of these are at odds with each other, and within come types of relationships, they typically are, to the detriment of both partners.  Using resources from practical philosophy, Dan and Greg discuss guidelines for cultivating and respecting autonomy while maintaining and deepening relationships.  

They also examine a representative question about a problematic relationship in which one partner does not respect the other’s autonomy.

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice centered on effectively communicating what one needs from one’s partner.

  Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

In this twenty-third episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler continue their conversation from the last show, when they began examining philosophical thought experiments to see what we can learn from them to improve our lives or to better understand ourselves.  They engage in in-depth discussion of the Teletransportation Paradox, Searle's Chinese Room, Rawl's Veil of Ignorance, and Nozick's Experience Machine.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this fourteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss some key ideas and issues arising within people’s lives that are illuminated by Existentialist philosophy.  They focus particularly on the concepts of freedom, facticity, responsibility, anxiety or anguish, and meaning, and use concepts and insights from Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, and Soren Kirkegaard to make sense of these.

 

Without denying that many factors are outside of our control, or even consciousness, Existentialists argues that we are responsible for what we make of ourselves, using what degree of freedom we have. The meaning of our existence is partly a product of our choices and commitments.  Dan and Greg discuss  the meaning of what Sartre calls “bad faith”, which designates ways of using our freedom to deny that very freedom.  They also discuss how the freedom of others can play a central role in our own existence as well

They end the show by discussing the challenge of not living in bad faith, and practices that could support a more meaningful and authentic life.

 

  Show Music is by Scott Tarulli – https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this thirty-third episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler engage in a wide-ranging discussion centered on what living a meaningful life is, what the challenges, obstacles, or misunderstandings that stand in the way can be, and useful perspectives and practices for keeping, finding, or developing meaning on one's life.  Some of the approaches and thinkers they discuss include Existentialists like Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Friedrich Nietzsche; Stoics like Seneca and Epictetus; Cynics and Minimalists; and Aristotle and Aristotelians. Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit (with Lucy Lawless) - https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/01/02/sartres-no-exit-read-with-lucy-lawless-jaime-murray/   Why It's Good To Give - https://wisdomforlife.podbean.com/e/why-its-good-to-give/   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this sixteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss one of the main philosophical traditions they draw upon in the show – Stoicism – doing a deeper dive on its theory and practice, and discussing the massive interest in Stoicism that has developed in the last two decades.   They discuss some of the main ideas, insights and techniques of Stoicism.  These include living in accordance with nature, the social and rational nature of human beings, the dichotomy of control, the cardinal virtues (wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage), a healthy and rational approach to the emotions, and much more.   They also distinguish genuine Stoicism – grounded in study of classic Stoic texts, application of practices, and adaptation to modern times – from things that aren’t Stoicism.  These include “bro-icism”, where people focus on courage and toughness, but ignore other key Stoic values, and “lower-case-s stoicism”, which is a disposition towards a lack or repression of emotion.   They examine a question raised by a person who claims that Stoicism has left them numb and disengaged, and suggest that this results from misunderstanding and misapplication of Stoic principles and practices. They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in – developing a robust locus of meaning disconnected from work within one’s life.  This is depersonalizing negative experiences, saying “how would I react to this if it was happening to someone else, instead of to me?”   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli – https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this thirty-seventh episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the relations between human memory and the truth or falsity of matters.     Among the topics that they discuss are what memory is and how it works, how our memories work less like a camera simply recording images and more like an artist putting together a complex mosaic.  They take some detours in discussing Plato's notion of the forms and their importance for knowledge, how our memories can be deceiving, the "Satanic panic" of the 1980s and its connections with supposed repressed memories, and some of the novels of science fiction author, Philip K. Dick     Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this thirty-fourth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler highlight one important work of practical philosophy, the Meditations by the Stoic Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius.  The 1900-year anniversary of his birth is coming up on April 26, and several events are commemorating it.  Marcus' Meditations, originally written just to himself, are an important gateway through which hundreds of thousands of people have gotten into Stoicism over the last few decades.  Dan and Greg discuss who Marcus was, how they got into his work, why the Meditations matter, and some of the useful ideas, insights, and practices Marcus provides us.   Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Hayes translation) - https://amzn.to/39Xuq0S   Modern Stoicism/Aurelius Foundation Event - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/marcus-aurelius-anniversary-conference-tickets-141293351217   New Acropolis Event - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/roman-banquet-celebrating-marcus-aureliuss-1900-years-of-legacy-tickets-146688311689   ReasonIO Event - https://withribbon.com/u/reasonio   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

The first show. – Intro to the show. – Introducing Dr. Greg Sadler and Dan Hayes – Why is practical philosophy becoming popular – Philosophy as a way of life – Spiritual Practices – Q&A : Setting Boundries – Spiritual Practice: Negative Visualization

– Music by Scott Tarulli : www.scotttarulli.com/ – Greg Sadler reasonio.com – Dan Hayes can be found in the hearts and minds of all who seek wisdom

In this twenty-second episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler examine philosophical thought experiments to see what we can learn from them to improve our lives or to better understand ourselves.  They first discuss what a thought experiment is, and how it differs from other kinds of fictions, counterfactuals, or "what if"s. They then turn to in-depth discussion of trolley problems, the Ring of Gyges, the Ship of Theseus, and Roku's Basilisk.  After that, they discuss how one might develop a philosophical practice of creating one's own thought experiments.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/  

In this forty-second episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler tackle a common misconception of Stoic philosophy, namely that it involves withdrawing from the world and from other people, in order to insulate oneself from negative experiences and emotions.  This would mean that Stoicism would be incompatible with caring or concern for other people, and that would be strange, given that classic Stoics life Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius made love, affection, and concern for others central to their own teachings and practice. So, how can a person practice Stoicism and still cultivate healthy relationships with other people?  That's what this episode delves into in depth   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/  

In this sixth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler use insights from philosophy to discuss what resiliency is, why it is important to develop it, why it is good for us and others, and how we can approach it.  Bringing in ideas and approaches from Stoic philosophy and contemporary psychology and leadership, they flesh out this concept.

They also examine a common question:  What should you do when people you’re connected with haven’t developed resiliency?  Should you try to shield them from difficulties and challenges, try to help them develop resiliency, or cut them loose?

They end the show by revisiting a useful philosophical practice, “Negative Visualization” and they provide examples and applications of that practice.

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

In this thirty-sixth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss some approaches and resources for studying philosophy outside of traditional academia.    Among the topics that they discuss are why it is useful for non-academics to study and apply philosophy to their lives, how the cultural prominence academic philosophy is a fairly recent historical development, the variety of resources available today for independent and lifelong learners, and where and how to find them.  

In this thirty-second episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler celebrate hitting the milestone of being on the air together, producing the Wisdom for Life show, for a year.  They discuss a number of topics, including the backstory for the show itself, lessons they have learned (sometimes the hard way), their favorite episodes, why community radio is so important (and how you can support it), and what they'd like to do with the show this coming year.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this fifth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler use insights from philosophy to discuss features of good and bad relationships, including friendships, romantic relationships, collaborative partnerships, and familial relationships.  How much should we demand or expect from those we are in relationships with?  Drawing upon ideas from Aristotle, Epictetus, Seneca, Cicero, Rilke, and other philosophers they explore what makes relationships good or bad, and what partners can and should expect from one another.

They also examine a case of a problematic relationship, marked by conflicts over differences in wages and earnings between the partners, and they discuss some of the more general features of these sorts of situations, and how partners can avoid those sorts of conflicts and tensions.

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice, “Speaking Without Judging” (drawn from Epictetus’ book, the Enchiridion) and they provide examples and applications of that practice.

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

 In this eleventh episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler examine what role contemporary technology – particularly mobile technology, the internet, social media, and AI/robotics – can play in “the good life”.   They discuss several ideas drawn from philosophers such as Aristotle, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, and Michel Foucault as well as from speculative fiction authors such as Iain Banks, Isaac Asimov, and William Gibson, that bear upon the technology that we use everyday.  What are the dangers, temptations, and problems brought about by our technology, and how can we employ philosophical insights and practices to use what’s good in technology without getting sucked into what’s bad about it? They end the show by discussing whether apps on one’s phone are compatible with genuine philosophical practices or not, and suggest ways that “technologies of the self” drawn from virtue ethics and wisdom traditions, and external technologies can support each other within the scope of intentional living.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli  

In this twenty-ninth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the notion of "asymmetric knowledge problems", that is, situations in which some of the people involved have significantly more knowledge or information than others, who typically ought to be provided with that information. Dan and Greg discuss and examine a number of common situations in which these sorts of information imbalances arise, and what we can do within the scope of our lives and society about these problems.  They also discuss the concepts of information literacy, information overload, and a distinction between known unknowns and unknown unknowns articulated by Donald Rumsfeld.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this nineteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss a topic of seeming perennial interest - freedom of speech - but attempt to shift the focus from framing it in the usual terms of rights, rules, or overall social benefit towards thinking about speech in terms of one's own responsibility.     The conversation ranges over how people think about freedom of speech, or portray it in the demands they make about it to others, what genuinely responsible exercise of one's speech or expression would look like, and a useful distinction between two different modes of freedom of speech. In Greek, these were called isegoria (freedom of speech as equal access) and parrhesia (freedom of speech as saying what one wants, to whom one wants, when one wants).   They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in - "Prudence in use of speech" - making a determination about whether one ought to use one's speech to "make a stand", or whether to devote one's resources where they would be more effective or productive.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/   The 2017 Atlantic article, "The Two Clashing Meanings of Free Speech" by Teresa Bejan-  https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/two-concepts-of-freedom-of-speech/546791/

In this thirty-ninth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler continue their discussion of the topic of truth.  They review several of the insights and theories about truth from the previous session, including what the correspondence and coherence theories of truth are.  Then they discuss another main approach, the pragmatic theory of truth, looking at some of the diverse formulations of that view, coming in particular from C.S. Pierce, William James, and John Dewey. They discuss how and where a pragmatic approach can be helpful for how we approach truth in our everyday lives.

 In this thirty-fifth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler welcome special guest Matt Van Natta for a dialogue and interview about Stoic philosophy, practices, and their applications in life.  During their conversation, they discuss why practices are important to Stoicism, but that more than just practices is needed even to use the practices effectively.  They also discuss applications of Stoicism to dealing with acute and chronic pain, mental health and illness, relationships, and other areas of challenges in life.   The Good Fortune Podcast - https://immoderatestoic.com/good-fortune   Matt Van Natta's book The Good Fortune Handbook - https://amzn.to/3tMlrHJ Matt Van Natta's book The Beginner's Guide to Stoicism - https://amzn.to/3gy56m7

Matt Van Natta's book The 5-minute Stoicism Journal - https://amzn.to/32HBcUh

  Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this second episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler use insights from philosophy to discuss how to deal with fear and anxiety provoked by the coronavirus crisis.

They answer a contributed question about what to do in the crisis, and they also introduce the philosophical practice of "taking a pause", found in many different philosophical traditions.

In this fourth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler use insights from philosophy to discuss why setting and maintaining boundaries is important, in personal relationships, in the workplace, and with neighbors.  Drawing upon ideas from Aristotle, Epictetus, Seneca, Cicero, and other philosophers they explain how to set boundaries, why boundaries are important, and common misconceptions people often have about them.

They also address some issues arising in the present, dealing with not just psychological or relationship boundaries, but physical ones, bearing on social distancing, isolation, and quarantine.

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice, “Practicing Virtue Here and Now” (drawn from Epictetus’ book, the Enchiridion) and they provide examples and applications of that practice.

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

 

 In this twenty-sixth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss how people can use resources and insights from philosophy to do well in the sort of polarized society we have been becoming for decades, and which was revealed as such even more in our recent 2020 election.  They discuss a number of ways in which our political processes are fractured and how people are often alienated from each other, from their political representatives, and from an increasingly contentious culture.  Philosophy can help to provide us with needed perspective and practices that not only allow us to get by, but even perhaps, in some ways, to make things better for ourselves and for others.    Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/  

In this forty-third episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the phenomenon that gets called "the gaze" or "the look" (le regard, in French), starting with Jean-Paul Sartre's famous analysis of it, and the examples he provides in Being and Nothingness. They then discuss the notion of the "panopticon" and how it figures into the "surveillance society", and then examine gender and power-relations in the "male gaze".   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this forty-first episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler go back to the types of real-life moral dilemmas set out in the Reddit AITA forum.  They narrate, discuss, and analyse a number of selected cases, and give their one judgements on whether anyone in these cases is acting like a jerk or not.

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this thirtieth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss an advice forum on Reddit called AITA (Am I The A-Hole), which has 2.5 million members, and allows people to post their accounts of moral conflicts they are in or anticipate being in, and then advice and judgements from readers.   Dan and Greg introduce and describe the forum, and discuss the usefulness and morality of having such a forum, and then go on to examine several of their favorite cases found in the AITA Reddit from moral perspectives.  

In this thirty-eighth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the nature, meaning, and value of something that we all talk about, but which is a bit tough to define - truth.     Among the topics they range over are whether truth can be subjective or objective, whether there is a difference between moral truths about what we ought to do or what has value, and experiential truths about objects in the world. They also discuss several main theories of what truth is or what makes something true, including the correspondence theory of truth, the coherence theory of truth, and the pragmatic theory of truth,   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this twentieth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler take a pause from their normal topic-focused in-depth discussions to talk about what the Wisdom for Life show is about and how they got it started, what challenges they ran into with producing the show in COVID-19 times, and what they have learned by producing the show for nearly half a year.   They also answer a number of questions provided in advance by listeners to the show.    Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/   The 2017 Atlantic article, "The Two Clashing Meanings of Free Speech" by Teresa Bejan-  https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/two-concepts-of-freedom-of-speech/546791/

: In this eighteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss a puzzle arising early on in ancient literature and continuing on down to the present - if we know right from wrong, and we’re in possession of our faculties, why do we sometimes give in and do the wrong thing instead of the right one? In ancient Greek, this was called “akrasia” - literally lack of self-mastery.  It is a kind of ethical or moral failure that we can call lack or loss of self control, or “weakness of will”.   Dan and Greg examine a number of different approaches to this common experience, including those coming from ancient philosophers and movements like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics, and those from contemporary psychology as well.   They examine a practical question about procrastination in fulfilling tasks and the guilt that often accompanies that failure to follow through   They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in - deliberately reminding oneself in moments of temptation that in choosing to do what one knows is the right thing, one is helping to establish habits that will help make the right choices easier in the future   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this twenty-fourth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler revisit their previous discussions of Stoic philosophy, not least because October and November are the "Season of Stoicism", with Stoic Week, the main Stoicon conference, and a number of Stoicon-X conferences coming up.     They discuss a number of practices and insights from Stoic philosophy, and a recent case of a person who wrongly used Stoicism as a pretext for bad behavior in the workplace.  They also address a question about whether taking medication for mental illness is compatible with Stoicism, and briefly discuss a Stoic practice deriving from Epictetus, that of examining and rejecting mistaken inferences   More on Stoicon can be found here : https://modernstoicism.com/stoicon/ More on StoiconX can be found here : https://modernstoicism.com/stoicon-x-events-coming-up-worldwide/ More on Stoic Week can be found here : https://modernstoicism.com/stoic-week/   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this seventeenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss some of the problems and pitfalls that arise when labeling people as entirely good or entirely bad.  Most people fit somewhere in between being perfectly good or bad, so a realistic assessment of other people - or of oneself - would avoid categorizing people uncritically along those lines.   This is somewhat of a meandering conversation, ranging over topics such as the Stanford Prison experiment, insights about goodness and badness in Plato's dialogues, Solzhenitsyn's caution that the line through good and evil runs through human hearts, how we can become aware of our biases, and the difference between stagnant and growth mindsets.   They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in - reserving judgement when witnessing people doing things that we typically view as bad.   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this ninth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler examine a common image of concentric circles used to understand relationships with other people towards whom we might have affection, care, or moral obligations.  The smallest circle is that of close friends and family, while the largest extends to all humanity, and potentially beyond.

 

They discuss how differing philosophical and wisdom traditions, including Stoicism, Buddhism, and Utilitarianism have used this image, and developed practices designed to help us develop attitudes of justice and benevolence towards other beyond the circles we most typically focus upon.

  They also examine a common issue that arises when considering circles of community – to what extent should a person focus on their nation or political community as the most important?  Should their focus instead be on all people, or on people closer to them?

 

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice derived from several schools of Buddhism, Metta or “loving-kindness” meditation, which employs the conception of circles.

  Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

In this twenty-eighth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the "paradox of choice", which is the idea that having a greater range of options - usually looked at as a good thing - often makes people less able to choose and less happy with the choices they make. They discuss Barry Schwartz's conception of this in terms of consumer purchasing in his book titled "The  Paradox of Choice, and then broaden consideration of this problematic to a number of other fields. After that, they discuss how resources and insights from philosophy can help us avoid falling into the paradox of choice and to be happier with the choices we do make.    Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this fortieth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler bring their discussion of the topic of truth to a close by focusing on the popular metaphor of the marketplace of ideas as a locus in which true opinions and viewpoints are likely to be discovered, and false ones revealed as such.  They discuss some of the difficulties involved in discovering and articulating truth, whether the "marketplace" really works, and how our current social and political factionalization creates new obstacles and challenges   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this thirteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the Social Contract, a classic philosophical concept that plays a key role in American politics and everyday ethics, and which also bears on recent nationwide protests over police misconduct and aggression.   They discuss first what the social contract is and whether or not it has been broken for many Americans, referencing the recent short talk given by Kimberly Jones.  They also look at what ideas from classical social contract theory – found in Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Rawls can be useful for understanding our present situation   They also discuss who has been systematically excluded from the social contract, examine a few of the key points that Charles Mills discusses in The Racial Contract, and look at the features Nicholas A Christakis outlines for a better social contract. They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in – trying to imagine a new social contract that would be equitable and just for all.  

Kimberly Jones “How We Can Win” video – https://youtu.be/llci8MVh8J4

Charles Mills, The Racial Contract – https://amzn.to/3ea6rM1 Nicholas A Christakis, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society – https://amzn.to/2BZj9id

 

  Show Music is by Scott Tarulli – https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this seventh episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss what has come to be called the “Stockdale Paradox”, named after Admiral James Stockdale’s application of Stoic philosophy while confined and tortured as a POW during the Vietnam War.  Stockdale noted that the prisoners who survived the difficult conditions combined realism about their challenging situation with faith that they could come through it.  This was then formulated and popularized as a paradox by Jim Collins in his book of management theory, Good to Great.    

They discuss Stockdale’s advice and how it can be applied in everyday life, why people find it paradoxical, and how hope could be a rational response.  They also bring in useful insights from psychologist Victor Frankl, existentialist Gabriel Marcel, and pragmatist William James.

They also examine a seeming challenge to Stockdale’s point of view, framed by Chuck Chakrapani:  “My observation has been that true optimists ignore it if their predictions don’t pan out. They seem to revise their predictions to suit their optimism”.  Dan and Greg discuss why undue and reality-denying optimism doesn’t work in the long run.

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice, “WOOP” (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan)

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

In this thirty-first episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the topic of Philosophy As A Way Of Life.  This was a common, recurring, and traditional approach in philosophy until roughly the last two centuries. For this episode, Greg and Dan interviewed one of the present-day experts in this field, John Sellars, one of the co-founders of Modern Stoicism, ltd, professor of philosophy at Royal Holloway College in London, and the author of many books and articles on the matter.   They discuss what Philosophy As A Way Of Life is and what its main characteristics are, how it differs from standard types of academic philosophy, the importance of philosophical practices, and a number of other related topics.   John Sellars' article, What Is Philosophy As A Way Of Life can be found here - https://www.parrhesiajournal.org/parrhesia28/parrhesia28_sellars.pdf   The book recommendations from this session are: Pierre Hadot, Philosophy As a Way of Life - https://amzn.to/2N3nnvd Martha Nussbaum, The Therapy of Desire - https://amzn.to/2Z8N14d Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue - https://amzn.to/3afmOHl John Sellars, The Fourfold Remedy - https://amzn.to/3agvKfE   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this third episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler use insights from philosophy to discuss what is genuinely good as opposed to merely appearing to be good, and what is genuinely bad as opposed to merely appearing to be bad. They also discuss how to prioritize between the better and the less good, the worse and the less bad, and common reasons people get mixed up about these matters.

they also discuss several rival conceptions of what is good, bad, and indifferent, particularly those developed my Stoic and Aristotelian philosophy.

They answer a contributed question “after being quarantined, has anyone discovered they have actually been an introvert this whole time?” and dialogue about what introverts and extroverts find good or bad.

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice, “dealing with appearances or impressions through pause and examination”, found in several different philosophical traditions, and provide examples and applications of that practice.

In this twenty-fifth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler are joined by special guest, Michael DeVito, former defensive end for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, and the topics they discuss revolve around the issue of being a fan of professional sports. Since retirement, Michael has earned two Masters degrees in philosophy and is currently a PhD student in philosophy at the University of Birmingham There are many examples of fans behaving badly due to their emotional attachment to their teams, and so this raises a question:  can being a committed fan be a part of a rational way of living?  Or is a genuine attachment to a professional sports team - or indeed any sort of fandom - incompatible with an intentional, virtues-oriented mode of life? The answer they provide is that it is indeed possible to be a good fan - not just "good" in terms of being devoted to a team, but in moral and ethical terms.   Michael DeVito's Wikipedia Entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_DeVito   Gregory Sadler's article "Stoicism, Sports, And Packers Fandom" - https://medium.com/stoicism-philosophy-as-a-way-of-life/stoicism-sports-and-packers-fandom-3895f9423e57   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/  

In this twenty-first episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler do a deeper dive into discussion of a practice that they have mentioned on the show previously - Negative Visualization, sometimes called "premeditatio malorum".  This is a practice derived from Stoic philosophy which has proven useful for many people over two millennia for dealing with anxiety, anger, and other emotions, and for developing resilience. They also discuss what visualization in this sense is, how it differs from wishful thinking associated with problematic worldviews, and how to do and understand negative visualization in ways that will prove productive for personal growth and development   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/  

In this fifteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss some of the issues on the horizon facing us in terms of the types and availability of work.  As further developments in robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, surveillance and logistics take place, the jobs and careers of many people are not just at risk, but likely to be phased out in the coming decades.

 

They discuss a number of the scenarios projected as possible by different theorists , including Peter Frase (author of Four Futures) and the RSA Action and Research Center.  Some of these are utopian, some are dystopian, and some fit in between.  One of the central questions is how people who currently find a lot of their meaning in work, will manage that if work becomes no longer available in the modes they are accustomed to.

They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in – developing a robust locus of meaning disconnected from work within one’s life.   Peter Frase, “Four Futures” – https://jacobinmag.com/2011/12/four-futures RSA Action and Research Center report: The Four Futures of Work – https://www.thersa.org/globalassets/pdfs/reports/rsa_four-futures-of-work.pdf   Show Music is by Scott Tarulli – https://www.scotttarulli.com/

In this tenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler examine a common matter in everyday life – lying. What is a lie, and what counts as “lying”?  Can lying ever be something good, right, required, or even just all right?

They discuss different ways we can classify and understand lies, including the distinction between white, black, and blue lies.  Moral theories help us to understand and evaluate the rightness or wrongness of lies – and why they are right or wrong, good or bad – and they examine lying through the rigorous deontological lens of Immanuel Kant, and the more forgiving utilitarian lens of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

 

They also examine a common issue that frequently arises.  What about people who embellish stories?  Are they lying?  And is that embellishment morally bad, or is it something that contributes to enjoyable communication

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice designed to help people develop an understanding of what kinds of lies or deception they engage in, and why they do it, so they can make better choices about these matters 

  Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

This was our first time on the radio together before we formalized Wisdom for Life. Enjoy our early discussion/fund-raiser for our host radio station WXRW-LP 104.1 in Milwaukee WI.

Greg Sadler and Dan Hayes discuss philosophical insights about generosity, giving, and supporting community from Stoic and other perspectives live on the radio! Greg is President and Founder of ReasonIO and Editor of Stoicism Today. His talents include making resources from philosophical texts and thinkers understandable and accessible to a global audience. Dan is a Riverwest resident, and a co-organizer of the MKE Stoic Fellowship (meetup.com/MKE-Stoic-Fellowship/)