What Is the Good Life?
The philosophy professor Meghan Sullivan doesn’t just want to teach her students about virtue; she wants to make them better human beings.
Title: Meghan Sullivan on Finding the Good Life
David Brooks: Hello, I am David Brooks. If you are listening to or watching this, you have found the inaugural episode of a new podcast called The Permanent Questions. The concept of the podcast is to explore some of the most fundamental questions of existence. What is our purpose? How do we cope with death? How can we repair broken relationships?
How do we create a fairer society? You may be wondering, "How did a political commentator end up discussing these profound matters?" In my early years at the University of Chicago, I discovered a school where brilliant teachers ignited my curiosity and passion for big questions. They taught me to seek wisdom not just through books, but through deep conversations and grappling with life's toughest dilemmas.
This foundation shaped my career as a journalist and political commentator, but none of my books focus solely on politics. Instead, they explore questions my teachers posed to me: How do we cultivate our emotions? How do we recover from setbacks? Over the past 15 years, I have come to believe that our society is overly focused on politics and underprepared for the fundamental questions of how to live.
We see headlines about political scandals every day, but many people lack guidance on essential life topics like discovering one's calling or finding meaning. In recent years, America has experienced a spiritual, relational, and social crisis marked by increasing loneliness, despair, distrust, and polarization. While our lives have objectively improved due to technological advances, they often feel subjectively worse.
Civilization's contributions to human flourishing—religion, literature, art, philosophy, friendship, and even conversation—are becoming less prominent in our national discourse. Inspired by this, I invited Meghan Sullivan, a renowned philosopher and educator, to be our first guest. Sullivan teaches "God and the Good Life," one of Notre Dame's most beloved courses, and co-authored The Good Life Method, a book that guides students through the big questions of happiness, faith, and meaning.
She emphasizes not just imparting facts but forming students into their best selves. It is my privilege to welcome Meghan Sullivan to The Permanent Questions.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
