Philosophy For Flourishing

What does it mean to be “a good person”? Is morality an arbitrary social convention, a decree from on high, or a recognition of and respect for man’s nature? 

 

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Email Jon at [email protected] with questions, comments, or topic suggestions.

 

Also check out:

 

The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand: https://amzn.to/3k5B4V5

 

Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand: https://amzn.to/3hfEPWa

 

Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It by Craig Biddle: https://amzn.to/3m0T1WS

 

Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing by Craig Biddle: https://amzn.to/3m4k9UI

 

“Secular, Objective Morality: Look and See” by Craig Biddle: https://theobjectivestandard.com/2017/04/secular-objective-morality-look-and-see/

“Objective Moral Values” by Craig Biddle: https://theobjectivestandard.com/2009/11/objective-moral-values/

Here’s a simple yet effective routine for focusing your mind on the good and getting more out of life. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening right now. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/objectivestandard Twitter: https://

I’ve been working from home for years, but it wasn’t until late last year that I realized that my environment was working against me. Rearranging my workspace not only made me more productive, it enhanced my personal life as well. 

 

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Email Jon at [email protected] with questions, comments, or topic suggestions.

 

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Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://amzn.to/3iTmm33

Northern capitalists of the 19th century—in addition to creating life-serving products and technologies—joined and financed America’s abolitionist movement, while southern planters preached that slavery was “the beau ideal of Communism.” Yet, today, cultural commentators—most notably, contributors to The New York Times 1619 Project—argue that the remnants of capitalism left in our mixed economy are the residue of slavery in America. With the help of Phil Magness, senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research and author of The 1619 Project: A Critique, we investigate some of these claims and how they’re impacting freedom and flourishing.

 

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Email Jon at [email protected] with questions, comments, or topic suggestions.

 

Also check out:

 

The 1619 Project: A Critique by Phil Magness: https://amzn.to/3apTe0j

Phil’s essays and books at American Institute for Economic Research: https://www.aier.org/staff/phillip-w-magness/

America's Revolutionary Mind by C. Bradley Thompson: https://amzn.to/3fRUNW2

“John Locke: The Father of Liberalism” by Jon Hersey: https://theobjectivestandard.com/2019/08/john-locke-the-father-of-liberalism/

If failure can be avoided at all, it is only by setting your most ambitious goals on some mental shelf and allowing them to gather dust. At some point, everyone who tries fails. What distinguishes successful people from the rest is that they view failures as experiments. They learn, refine, and continue. When they achieve their initial goal, they set a more ambitious one and begin the process all over. Failure, they recognize, is an essential part of success.

 

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Email Jon at [email protected] with questions, comments, or topic suggestions.

 

Also check out:

 

Michael Jordan “Failure” commercial for Nike: https://youtu.be/45mMioJ5szc

Mastery by Robert Greene: https://amzn.to/30XQ67z

The Last Dance: https://www.netflix.com/title/80203144?source=35

Gratitude, properly understood and practiced, has the power to greatly enhance our lives. But there’s a surprising amount of confusion about what gratitude is and what it’s not. Arm yourself against common misconceptions with insights from Dr. Ellen Kenner, a clinical psychologist, co-author of The Selfish Path to Romance, and the host of the radio talk show “The Rational Basis of Happiness.”

 

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“How to Savor Gratitude and Disarm ‘Gratitude Traps’” by Ellen Kenner: https://theobjectivestandard.com/2020/05/how-to-savor-gratitude-and-disarm-gratitude-traps/

The Selfish Path to Romance: How to Love with Passion & Reason by Ellen Kenner and Edwin Locke: https://amzn.to/2Bq4L2K

Interview with Ellen Kenner and Ed Locke on The Selfish Path to Romance: https://theobjectivestandard.com/2012/02/kenner-locke-romance/

“Deriving More Joy from One of Life’s Richest Sources” by Jon Hersey: https://theobjectivestandard.com/2019/06/deriving-more-joy-from-one-of-lifes-richest-sources/

Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward by James Prochaska, John Norcross, Carlo DiClemente: https://amzn.to/3jBY8f5

Mankind has come a long way since the caves of our prehistoric ancestors. What has made “the ascent of man” (in the words of Jacob Bronowski) possible? How do we keep it going?

 

For some answers, check out our discussion with Jason Crawford, author of The Roots of Progress and the creator of Progress Studies for Young Scholars. Learn more about Crawford’s work at RootsOfProgress.org.

 

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Progress Studies for Aspiring Young Scholars: https://progressstudies.school

“We Need a New Science of Progress” by Patrick Collison and Tyler Cowen: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/we-need-new-science-progress/594946/

A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy by Joel Mokyr : https://amzn.to/2Cz2XES

“Progress Isn’t Natural” by Joel Mokyr: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/progress-isnt-natural-mokyr/507740/

The Alchemy of Air by Thomas Hager: https://amzn.to/30efNAh

Many people pester themselves with negative self-talk, and the solution, we hear from many self-help gurus, is positive thinking. But what exactly do they mean by positive thinking, and is it really a solution? What are some sound means of improving your internal dialogue?

 

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Also check out: 

“The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made” by Ayn Rand: https://amzn.to/2AlgwXz

Thinking for Thriving: https://objectivestandard.org/product/thinking-for-thriving

Your Supersystem for Flourishing: https://objectivestandard.org/product/your-supersystem-for-flourishing

 

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We often hear that this or that person is “naturally gifted” in a specific realm or that each of us is put on Earth for a specific purpose. On this theory, the height of wisdom is to figure out what your “natural endowments” are and then cultivate them. Alluring as this idea is, it obscures the fact that we have free will and that, despite predispositions, we get to choose what we want to become.

 

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Also check out: 

“The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made” by Ayn Rand: https://amzn.to/2AlgwXz

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck: https://amzn.to/2CRzaam

The Hero Show, Episode 2: Life Lessons from Benjamin Franklin: https://youtu.be/CJIUqX7FFlc

Muggsy Bogues Highlights: https://youtu.be/lOGj8qM6hQ0

“Seven Poems Celebrating Free Will” by various authors: https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/2019/02/seven-poems-celebrating-free-will/

If you want to maximize your success and happiness, you must engage purposefully in all of the key areas of life (career, romance, friendships, recreation). Asking the question “what for?“ is key to accomplishing this aim. 

Craig and Jon discuss how “what for?” focuses your mind on your goals and on how best to achieve them. They also talk about how certain types of answers to this question can lead one astray. 

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Also check out: 

“Purpose Comes from Reason, Not Religion” by Craig Biddle: https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/2019/05/purpose-comes-from-reason-not-religion/

“Purpose, Value Hierarchies, and Happiness” by Craig Biddle: https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/2014/05/purpose-value-hierarchies-happiness/

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: https://amzn.to/3aRYGZj

So Who Is John Galt, Anyway? by Robert Tracinski, reviewed by Andrew Bernstein: https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/2020/04/so-who-is-john-galt-anyway-by-robert-tracinski/