#535: The Problem of Self-Help in a Liquid Age

#535: The Problem of Self-Help in a Liquid Age

Self-help gurus, life coaches, and business consultants love to tell us that we must strive for constant self-improvement to realize our full potential and become truly happy. But it doesn't seem to work -- for many of us, life still seems hollow and meaningless. So focused are we on personal development and material possessions that we've overlooked the things that make life truly fulfilling and worthwhile.

But what are those things?

My guest today explores the answer to that question in his book Standpoints: 10 Old Ideas in a New World. His name is Svend Brinkmann, and he's a Danish philosopher and psychologist. We begin our conversation discussing why modern life can feel like liquid, and how the typical approach to personal development and self-help doesn't rescue us from drowning in it. Svend then contrasts the common approach to treating choices and people like instruments and means to an end with the idea of doing what's good simply because it is good. Svend argues that we can do that by standing firm on certain philosophic principles, and we spend the rest of our conversation discussing a few of what these are, including the importance of endowing others with dignity, making and keeping promises, and embracing responsibility.

Get the show notes at aom.is/standpoints.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(1159)

Make Friends With Death to Live a Better Life

Make Friends With Death to Live a Better Life

We live in a culture that does everything it can to keep death at a distance. We hide it behind hospital curtains, euphemize it in conversation, and hustle through grief like it's just another item on...

28 Loka 202553min

Chasing the White Whale — Into the Depths of Moby-Dick

Chasing the White Whale — Into the Depths of Moby-Dick

If you went to high school in America, you probably read Moby-Dick — or, more likely, you skimmed the CliffsNotes and wondered why this dense, whale-obsessed novel was considered a classic.That was me...

21 Loka 202550min

The 6 Practices of the Ultimate Morning Routine

The 6 Practices of the Ultimate Morning Routine

There's been a lot of talk about morning routines in the last few years. But the idea is hardly new; famous men from Thomas Aquinas to Benjamin Franklin structured their mornings to accomplish great d...

14 Loka 202548min

The Classical Code of Manhood

The Classical Code of Manhood

What does it mean to be a man? It’s a timeless question that's been answered in different ways across the ages. For the ancient Romans, the word for manliness was virtus — the root of our word virtue....

7 Loka 202559min

Why You Need the Good Stress of Socializing

Why You Need the Good Stress of Socializing

You may have heard of hormesis — the idea that intentionally embracing small stressors activates the body’s repair and defense systems, building resilience, improving how the body and even the microbi...

30 Syys 202552min

Build Muscle Without the B.S. — A Straightforward Guide to Size and Strength

Build Muscle Without the B.S. — A Straightforward Guide to Size and Strength

Whether you’ve never stepped foot in a weight room or you’ve been lifting for years without seeing significant results, figuring out how to get big, strong, and jacked can feel overwhelming. There are...

23 Syys 20251h 5min

The Preparation — An Adventure-Driven, Skill-Building Alternative to College for Young Men

The Preparation — An Adventure-Driven, Skill-Building Alternative to College for Young Men

For generations, the path to adulthood was straightforward: go to college, get a job, build a life. But many young men are beginning to question the college component of that path; tuition keeps risin...

16 Syys 202551min

Overdiagnosed — How Our Obsession with Medical Testing and Labels Is Making Us Sicker

Overdiagnosed — How Our Obsession with Medical Testing and Labels Is Making Us Sicker

Modern medicine has given us incredible tools to peer inside the body and spot disease earlier than ever before. But with that power comes a problem: the more we look, the more we find — and not every...

8 Syys 202559min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-narsisti
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
adhd-podi
rss-rahamania
rss-niinku-asia-on
puhutaan-koiraa
kesken
psykologia
rss-valo-minussa-2
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-psykalab
leikitaanko-laakaria
rss-lasnaolon-hetkia-mindfulness-tutuksi
rss-vapaudu-voimaasi
rss-hereilla
rss-rentotapaus