The Quest for a Moral Life

The Quest for a Moral Life

Note: This is a rebroadcast. This episode originally aired June 2019.

Do you ever feel like you’re spinning your existential wheels in life? That outwardly, you seem to be doing ok, but inwardly, you feel kind of empty?

My guest today would say that you’ve got to move on from trekking up life’s first mountain, to begin a journey up its second. His name is David Brooks and he’s the author of The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. In that book, David makes the case that there are two mountains that we climb in life: The first is about the self — getting a college degree, starting a career, buying a home, and making your mark on the world. But at some point, that mountain starts to feel unfulfilling. That’s when we discover there’s a second mountain to ascend — a path of selflessness, relationships, and greater meaning.

Today on the show, David tells us what he got wrong in his previous book, The Road to Character, and how The Second Mountain expands the vision of the good life. We then discuss why the first mountain of life gets more attention in the West and how the hyper individualism it encourages has led to an increase in loneliness, anxiety, and existential angst. David then walks us through how we shift courses from the first mountain of achievement to the second mountain of meaning by making commitments to things outside of ourselves. We then discuss the four commitments he thinks bring us real meaning and significance, and how we can seek and find them.

Show Highlights
  • How this new book serves as a correction to The Road to Character
  • Lies that culture tells us about becoming moral (and happy)
  • The social history of our country’s individualism
  • The downsides of this individualism
  • The rise of tribalism
  • Why David is optimistic about how people are using social media
  • The wrong ways that people look for meaning and significance
  • The first mountain vs. the second mountain of life
  • How do commitments give life meaning and bring us joy?
  • How you really go about “finding” yourself
  • Career vs. vocation
  • The next generation’s great responsibility
  • Committing ourselves to “maximum marriage”
  • The importance of intellectual challenge
  • Making the case for faith/religion
  • What does an ideal community look like?
  • The interplay of these various commitments
Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in PodcastConnect With David

We Are Weavers

David’s NY Times column

David on Twitter

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

Episoder(1158)

20 Secrets of Adulthood

20 Secrets of Adulthood

Figuring out the pitfalls and best practices of adulthood can be tricky. It's helpful to have some pearls of wisdom to guide you along the way.My guest today has spent decades collecting these kinds o...

6 Mai 202550min

Auto-Exploitation, Positive Violence, and the Palliative Society: A Modern Philosopher’s Ideas for Making Sense of the Present Age

Auto-Exploitation, Positive Violence, and the Palliative Society: A Modern Philosopher’s Ideas for Making Sense of the Present Age

Feelings of burnout and boredom have become prevalent in modern life. To understand the roots of and solutions to these issues, we can turn to both ancient philosophers and contemporary thinkers. Amon...

29 Apr 202558min

The Power of NEAT — Move a Little to Lose a Lot

The Power of NEAT — Move a Little to Lose a Lot

Do you have a goal to lose weight? If so, you're probably thinking about how you need to exercise more. And that can certainly help. But what about the 23 hours a day you're not at the gym? How much y...

22 Apr 202548min

Co-Intelligence — Using AI to Think Better, Create More, and Live Smarter

Co-Intelligence — Using AI to Think Better, Create More, and Live Smarter

The era of artificially intelligent large language models is upon us and isn't going away. Rather, AI tools like ChatGPT are only going to get better and better and affect more and more areas of human...

15 Apr 202557min

From Public Citizens to Therapeutic Selves — The Hidden History of Modern Identity

From Public Citizens to Therapeutic Selves — The Hidden History of Modern Identity

When you scroll through social media feeds today, you’ll find countless posts about “living your truth” and “being authentic.” These ideas feel so natural to us now that we rarely stop to ask where th...

8 Apr 202548min

Beyond Resilience — How to Become Shatterproof

Beyond Resilience — How to Become Shatterproof

Resilience is often touted as the end all, be all of coping with life's challenges and setbacks. But my guest knows from her studies, executive coaching, and her own life that sometimes resilience jus...

1 Apr 202549min

The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown

The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown

The human urge to explore has taken us to every corner of the planet. From the highest peaks to far-flung islands to even the deepest dimensions of an idea, our species has an innate drive to venture ...

25 Mar 202554min

Are You Not Entertained? The Myths and Truths About Roman Gladiators

Are You Not Entertained? The Myths and Truths About Roman Gladiators

When you think about ancient gladiators, you likely have a certain vision that comes to mind: slaves forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of bloodthirsty Romans.But much of what we think...

18 Mar 202558min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
treningspodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
jakt-og-fiskepodden
hverdagspsyken
sinnsyn
rss-kull
rss-bisarr-historie
rss-kunsten-a-leve
fryktlos
level-up-med-anniken-binz
gravid-uke-for-uke
hagespiren-podcast
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
uroskolen
rss-impressions-2