What is a Good Life?
Episode 1 of the American Socrates podcast, hosted by Charles M. Rupert, titled "What is a Good Life?" was published on March 4, 2026 and runs 29 minutes.
March 4, 2026 ·29m · American Socrates
Summary
Send us Fan Mail Most people hear “hedonism” and think excess, but this episode revisits Epicurus to recover a very different account of the good life and its ethics. Rather than maximizing pleasure, Epicurus argued for minimizing misery—freedom from physical pain (aponia) and mental disturbance (ataraxia)—through simple living, disciplined desire, and durable friendship. By distinguishing between natural and necessary desires and the endless cravings for wealth, status, and power, he reframe...
Episode Description
Most people hear “hedonism” and think excess, but this episode revisits Epicurus to recover a very different account of the good life and its ethics. Rather than maximizing pleasure, Epicurus argued for minimizing misery—freedom from physical pain (aponia) and mental disturbance (ataraxia)—through simple living, disciplined desire, and durable friendship. By distinguishing between natural and necessary desires and the endless cravings for wealth, status, and power, he reframes ethics as the art of wanting less so we can fear less. The result is a vision of the good life grounded not in consumption, but in sufficiency and freedom from anxiety.
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