In Our Time: Philosophy

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 Time: PhilosophyBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

839 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: Philosophy

View all
Philosophize This! by Stephen West

Philosophize This!

15,220 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,707 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

290 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,040 Listeners

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast by Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

2,106 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,550 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,188 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,882 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

608 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

728 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

276 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

292 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,829 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,060 Listeners

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps by Peter Adamson

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

1,607 Listeners

Philosophy Bites by Edmonds and Warburton

Philosophy Bites

1,535 Listeners

Philosophy For Our Times by IAI

Philosophy For Our Times

315 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,158 Listeners

Theory & Philosophy by David Guignion

Theory & Philosophy

375 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,639 Listeners

The Nietzsche Podcast by Untimely Reflections

The Nietzsche Podcast

226 Listeners