Most everyone wants to live a good, meaningful life, though we don’t always know what that means and how to do it. Plenty of modern self-improvement programs claim to point people in the right direction, but many of the best answers were already offered more than two thousand years ago.

My guests have gleaned the cream of this orienting, ancient-yet-evergreen advice from history’s philosophers and shared it in their new book, The Good Life Method: Reasoning Through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning. Their names are Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko, and they’re professors of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Today on the show Meghan and Paul introduce us to the world of virtue ethics — an approach to philosophy that examines the nature of the good life, the values and habits that lead to excellence, and how to find and fulfill your purpose as a human being. We discuss how to seek truth with other people by asking them three levels of what they call “strong questions” and engaging in civil and fruitful dialogue. We then delve into why your intentions matter and why you should use “morally thick” language. We also examine the role that work and love has to play in pursuing the good life, and how the latter is very much about attention. We end our conversation with how a life of eudaimonia — full human flourishing — requires balancing action with contemplation.

#770: Philosophical Tools for Living the Good Life

For all of the West's failings - terrible food, cold weather, and questionable politicians with funny hair to name a few - it has its upsides. Konstantin would know. Growing up in the Soviet Union, he experienced first-hand the horrors of a socialist paradise gone wrong, having lived in extreme poverty with little access to even the most basic of necessities. It wasn't until he moved to the UK that Kisin found himself thriving in an open and tolerant society, receiving countless opportunities he would never have had otherwise.
 
Funny, provocative and unswervingly perceptive, An Immigrant's Love letter to the West interrogates the developing sense of self-loathing the Western sphere has adopted and offers an alternative perspective. Exploring race politics, free speech, immigration and more, Kisin argues that wrongdoing and guilt need not pervade how we feel about the West - and Britain - today, and that despite all its ups and downs, it remains one of the best places to live in the world.

After all, if an immigrant can't publicly profess their appreciation for this country, who can?

An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, written and read by Konstantin Kisin (Audiobook extract)

Fifteen original short stories from YA superstars, featuring Latine mythology’s most memorable monsters

From zombies to cannibals to death incarnate, this cross-genre anthology offers something for every monster lover. In Our Shadows Have Claws, bloodthirsty vampires are hunted by a quick-witted slayer; children are stolen from their beds by “el viejo de la bolsa” while a military dictatorship steals their parents; and anyone you love, absolutely anyone, might be a shapeshifter waiting to hunt.
 
The worlds of these stories are dark but also magical ones, where a ghost-witch can make your cheating boyfriend pay, bullies are brought to their knees by vicious wolf-gods, a jar of fireflies can protect you from the reality-warping magic of a bruja—and maybe you’ll even live long enough to tell the tale. Set across Latin America and its diaspora, this collection offers bold, imaginative stories of oppression, grief, sisterhood, first love, and empowerment.
 
Full contributor list: Chantel Acevedo, Courtney Alameda, Julia Alvarez, Ann Dávila Cardinal, M. García Peña, Racquel Marie, Gabriela Martins, Yamile Saied Méndez, Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, Claribel A. Ortega, Amparo Ortiz, Lilliam Rivera, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Ari Tison, and Alexandra Villasante.

Available September 6, 2022 from Hachette Audio as a digital download, and in Print and Ebook from AYR. 

Download: 
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781649041203-our-shadows-have-claws
https://www.downpour.com/our-shadows-have-claws
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https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Yamile_Saied_M%C3%A9ndez_Our_Shadows_Have_Claws?id=AQAAAEAC1jKWIM
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-shadows-have-claws-yamile-saied-m-ndez/1141009566?ean=2940175105293
https://www.estories.com/audiobook/612937/Yamile-Saied-Mndez_Amparo-Ortiz/Our-Shadows-Have-Claws

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Our Shadows Have Claws by Yamile Saied Méndez , Amparo Ortiz Read by Frankie Corzo and Marisa Blake

Cinderella

Saudade (feat. Epic Media Net)

When you get really close to someone, you get to know different sides of them naturally. It was no different when Jim Bunkelman fell in love with his wife, Rhonda. What was different was just how many different sides of Rhonda there were… 

If you’d like to learn more about what is referred to by some as healthy multiplicity, Jim suggests you consult Astraea’s Web, Healthymultiplicity.com and Multipicity 101 for more information. 

Producer: Julia DeWitt
Sound Design: Leon Morimoto

Multiplicity / Snap Judgment, "Better Half"

I'm a barbell guy. That's what I do for my strength training. But I know a lot of listeners love bodyweight exercises. You can do it anywhere, it saves you money, and it's incredibly functional. So there are a lot of benefits, but I've never really been able to find a good bodyweight program. But I came across a book called Homemade Muscle by Anthony Arvanitakis which builds periodization into bodyweight programming. He's got an amazing story, which we'll talk about, as well as the nitty-gritty of bodyweights. 

#177: Homemade Muscle & Bodyweight Training

There are more tigers in captivity in America than wild tigers in the entire world. The exact number of captive tigers in this country isn't known, because many of them live in people's backyards or unaccredited zoos, and the legality of their ownership varies widely by state and even by circumstance. We travelled to Louisiana to see a 550-pound Siberian-Bengal tiger who lives at a truck stop, and the man who's fought very hard to persuade Louisiana lawmakers he's not a criminal.

We're a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm. Say hello on Twitter @criminalshow or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsCriminal/

Episode 46: Tiger

Led Zeppelin - Greatest Hits - The Very Best Of Led Zeppelin - YouTube.MP4

Dalvin Brown of USA Today updates us on what progress is being made in the pursuit to build the world’s first flying car.

Possibility or pipe dream: How close are we to seeing flying cars?

Snap Judgment is a weekly storytelling radio show and podcast, hosted by Glynn Washington. Snap mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic, kick-ass radio. Snap’s raw, musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling… with a BEAT!!  Snap first aired on NPR stations nationwide in July 2010. Snap Judgment is now aired on over 400 public radio stations.