Nothing lasts. The work, the worries, the possessions, the reputation, even the memory of having been here—all of it eventually disappears. Ecclesiastes does not answer this problem by discovering some hidden permanence. It asks whether the fleetingness of life might change how we receive its ordinary pleasures. Can we enjoy what is given without pretending that it will last or asking it to make life enjoy what is given without pretending that it mean more than it can?
Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life: Episode 4: What Pleasure Costs
Episode 4, "What Pleasure Costs," was just released. Pleasure sounds simple until we try to name it. A piece of chocolate, relief from pain, a long conversation, intoxication, falling in love, and the quiet after anxiety subsides can all feel … [Continue reading] about Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life: Episode 4: What Pleasure Costs
Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life: 3: What Does it Mean to Flourish?
Episode 3, "What Does it Mean to Flourish," was just released. How are you different from a fruit fly? The obvious answer is that you can reason, plan, and ask what your life is for. Aristotle takes that difference seriously. If reason is what … [Continue reading] about Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life: 3: What Does it Mean to Flourish?
Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life: A New Podcast
I am delighted to introduce my new podcast! For the past several years I have taught a class at Brown University called “Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life.” The goal of the class is to bring positive psychology into dialogue with … [Continue reading] about Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life: A New Podcast
From Leiden to EpiDoc: Teaching AI to Encode Ancient Inscriptions
In my previous post, I discussed the field of “digital epigraphy” and the issue of structuring epigraphic data to make it more digitally useful. Much of the conversation at the Tenth Epigraphy.info Workshop, in fact, intersected with the FAIR … [Continue reading] about From Leiden to EpiDoc: Teaching AI to Encode Ancient Inscriptions