Virtue Eudaimonism: Ancient Wisdom for International Relations — Mark LeBar

This episode of The IR thinker explores how eudaimonism, rooted in ancient Greek philosophy, can illuminate contemporary ethical and political dilemmas, in conversation with Professor Mark LeBar. The discussion considers how eudaimonism reframes what is good for human beings today, its relationship to rule based moral theories, and the distinction between rules and norms in guiding practical reason. It then turns to questions of virtue, universality and moral relativism, before examining how a eudaimonist framework might inform debates on leadership, responsibility, polarisation, artificial intelligence and global challenges such as environmental degradation and cultural diversity.Mark LeBarMark LeBar is Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University and editor of the journal Social Theory and Practice. His research spans ethical theory, social and political philosophy and ancient philosophy, with a particular focus on virtue ethics and eudaimonism. He is the author of The Value of Living Well, which integrates ancient Greek ideas of flourishing with contemporary moral theory, and editor or co editor of volumes including Equality and Public Policy and Justice, which examine distributive questions and the virtue of justice from interdisciplinary perspectives.Publications:JusticeEudaimonismThe Value of Living WellAristotelian constructivismKant on welfareContent00:00 - Introduction01:35 - How Eudaimonism Redefines What Is Good for Us in Modern Ethics06:29 - Eudaimonism Today: Has It Evolved into a Modern Equivalent?10:44 - Practical Rationality vs Rule-Based Ethics: Insights from Eudaimonism17:52 - Rules vs Norms: Understanding Their Ethical Distinction22:21 - Virtue Ethics vs Moral Relativism: Using Ancient Ideas to Argue Universality28:12 - Eudaimonism and Modern Moral Theories: A Cohesive View of Facts and Reasons33:54 - Balancing Individual Flourishing with Social Responsibility Through Eudaimonism41:00 - Moral Autonomy and Social Obligations: Finding Harmony Through Virtue45:30 - Eudaimonism and Emerging Technologies: Addressing AI’s Ethical Challenges51:08 - Bridging Polarisation: Virtue Eudaimonism in Political and Ethical Conflicts56:00 - Global Environmental Issues: Eudaimonism and Collective Responsibility58:06 - Cultural Diversity and Globalisation: Evolving Eudaimonism for Modern Challenges01:00:50 - Philosophy Meets International Relations: Interdisciplinary OpportunitiesFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.