In Our Time

Happiness


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss whether 'happiness' means living a life of pleasure, or of virtue. It is an old question, and the Roman poet Horace attempted to answer it when he wrote; 'Not the owner of many possessions will you be right to call happy: he more rightly deserves the name of happy who knows how to use the gods's gifts wisely and to put up with rough poverty, and who fears dishonour more than death'. It seems a noble sentiment but for the Greek Sophist Thrasymachus this sort of attitude was the epitome of moral weakness: For him poverty was miserable, and happiness flowed from wealth and power over men, an idea so persuasive that Plato wrote The Republic in response to its challenge. What have our philosophers made of the compulsion to be happy? And how much does this ancient debate still define what it means to be happy today? Are we entitled to health, wealth and the pursuit of pleasure or is true contentment something else entirely? With Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick; Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University; Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our TimeBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

5,080 ratings


More shows like In Our Time

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,583 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

299 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

520 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,057 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

298 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,220 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,875 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

865 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

607 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

731 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

275 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,117 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

477 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,789 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

235 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

362 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

232 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

331 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,187 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,298 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,531 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,873 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

2,061 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

70 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

832 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

523 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,469 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

621 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

331 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

253 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

65 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

76 Listeners

Havana Helmet Club by BBC Sounds

Havana Helmet Club

2 Listeners