Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/philosophy-of-living-well In this series of podcasts, University of Sydney philosopher Luke Russell is joined by a series of guests to examine the nature of the good life. What is it to live well? How should we treat other people? How should we respond when things go wrong? Which goals are worth pursuing? These fascinating discussions reveal a variety of competing conceptions of human flourishing, and help you to think more clearly about how you ought to live. ©2024 University of Sydney, School of Humanities b39f3640-c6b5-5f5c-a7f1-3dcdd8d18369 no en Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:19:03 +1100 Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:22:42 +1100 https://img.transistorcdn.com/w1g004t6ebtvKwKVf15agvCuWMIUrzmgWuguBhym49k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lNWRl/ZjRhMWMwYzg2ZmFk/ZTlmMGE4MTNkNzVk/ZjZiNS5wbmc.jpg episodic Professor Luke Russell In this series of podcasts, University of Sydney philosopher Luke Russell is joined by a series of guests to examine the nature of the good life. What is it to live well? How should we treat other people? How should we respond when things go wrong? Which goals are worth pursuing? These fascinating discussions reveal a variety of competing conceptions of human flourishing, and help you to think more clearly about how you ought to live. In this series of podcasts, University of Sydney philosopher Luke Russell is joined by a series of guests to examine the nature of the good life. philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism Peter Adams soh.online@sydney.edu.au No No 2 2 4 4 Friendship and Flourishing full 55ee7325-764f-4ca4-9e90-9c5733b46dec https://share.transistor.fm/s/a50dd5c4 Do you divide your friends into tiers or levels? If so, what does it take to get into the first tier, to count as a close friend? In this episode, Luke Russell discusses the nature of friendship with Associate Professor Sam Shpall from the University of Sydney. They ask what makes friendships so valuable, and whether it is possible to live a good life without having any friends. Associate Professor Shpall also explores the rivalrous friendship that is at the heart of the Neapolitan Quartet of novels written by Elena Ferrante.  

]]> Do you divide your friends into tiers or levels? If so, what does it take to get into the first tier, to count as a close friend? In this episode, Luke Russell discusses the nature of friendship with Associate Professor Sam Shpall from the University of Sydney. They ask what makes friendships so valuable, and whether it is possible to live a good life without having any friends. Associate Professor Shpall also explores the rivalrous friendship that is at the heart of the Neapolitan Quartet of novels written by Elena Ferrante.  

]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1778 Do you divide your friends into tiers or levels? If so, what does it take to get into the first tier, to count as a close friend? In this episode, Luke Russell discusses the nature of friendship with Associate Professor Sam Shpall from the University of Sydney. They ask what makes friendships so valuable, and whether it is possible to live a good life without having any friends. Associate Professor Shpall also explores the rivalrous friendship that is at the heart of the Neapolitan Quartet of novels written by Elena Ferrante.  

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Associate Professor Sam Shpall Professor Luke Russell 2 2 3 3 Live to Work or Work to Live? full 829eaed5-0460-44ec-bb18-f6dcf21afad2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ba3434eb “Workists” are people who find most of their life’s meaning through their work. Critics have bemoaned the fact that workism is on the rise, encouraging us instead to find meaning in family relationships, or in helping to make the world a better place. Associate Professor Matthew Hammerton, a philosopher from the Singapore Management University, defends workism. He argues against common criticisms, saying that finding meaning primarily in your work will not necessarily lead you to live an unbalanced life, and is no more risky than finding more meaning in relationships or in other activities.

]]> “Workists” are people who find most of their life’s meaning through their work. Critics have bemoaned the fact that workism is on the rise, encouraging us instead to find meaning in family relationships, or in helping to make the world a better place. Associate Professor Matthew Hammerton, a philosopher from the Singapore Management University, defends workism. He argues against common criticisms, saying that finding meaning primarily in your work will not necessarily lead you to live an unbalanced life, and is no more risky than finding more meaning in relationships or in other activities.

]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1533 “Workists” are people who find most of their life’s meaning through their work. Critics have bemoaned the fact that workism is on the rise, encouraging us instead to find meaning in family relationships, or in helping to make the world a better place. Associate Professor Matthew Hammerton, a philosopher from the Singapore Management University, defends workism. He argues against common criticisms, saying that finding meaning primarily in your work will not necessarily lead you to live an unbalanced life, and is no more risky than finding more meaning in relationships or in other activities.

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Associate Professor Matthew Hammerton Professor Luke Russell 2 2 2 2 Choosing to Forgive full dfcccb5b-6bb4-4a0c-a33b-f52da57fdd43 https://share.transistor.fm/s/28623c2d In what sense is forgiveness a choice? Is forgiving something that is under the victim’s voluntary control, or do some victims find themselves unable to forgive, no matter how hard they try? Guest Professor Lucy Allais, a philosopher who holds academic positions at both the University of the Witwatersrand and Johns Hopkins University, discusses whether we should always choose to forgive those who have wronged us. To highlight this issue, Professor Allais tries to make sense of June Steenkamp’s decision to forgive Oscar Pistorius – the man who murdered her daughter – despite June knowing full well that Oscar remains unapologetic and unrepentant.

]]> In what sense is forgiveness a choice? Is forgiving something that is under the victim’s voluntary control, or do some victims find themselves unable to forgive, no matter how hard they try? Guest Professor Lucy Allais, a philosopher who holds academic positions at both the University of the Witwatersrand and Johns Hopkins University, discusses whether we should always choose to forgive those who have wronged us. To highlight this issue, Professor Allais tries to make sense of June Steenkamp’s decision to forgive Oscar Pistorius – the man who murdered her daughter – despite June knowing full well that Oscar remains unapologetic and unrepentant.

]]> Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1739 In what sense is forgiveness a choice? Is forgiving something that is under the victim’s voluntary control, or do some victims find themselves unable to forgive, no matter how hard they try? Guest Professor Lucy Allais, a philosopher who holds academic positions at both the University of the Witwatersrand and Johns Hopkins University, discusses whether we should always choose to forgive those who have wronged us. To highlight this issue, Professor Allais tries to make sense of June Steenkamp’s decision to forgive Oscar Pistorius – the man who murdered her daughter – despite June knowing full well that Oscar remains unapologetic and unrepentant.

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Professor Luke Russell Professor Lucy Allais 2 2 1 1 A Life Without Art full 0f4c5cac-a8ea-47af-86cf-b61a6aa868c1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/72b1cb57 Is a life without art worth living? Some philosophers have suggested that appreciating art makes your life better because it brings you pleasure, or because it gives you valuable knowledge of the world, or because it helps to shape your moral character. In contrast, guest philosopher Professor David Macarthur, defends the view that engaging with artworks acts as a model for engaging with other human beings, and that shared appreciation of art is an important source of intimacy in otherwise isolated lives. 

]]> Is a life without art worth living? Some philosophers have suggested that appreciating art makes your life better because it brings you pleasure, or because it gives you valuable knowledge of the world, or because it helps to shape your moral character. In contrast, guest philosopher Professor David Macarthur, defends the view that engaging with artworks acts as a model for engaging with other human beings, and that shared appreciation of art is an important source of intimacy in otherwise isolated lives. 

]]> Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1772 Is a life without art worth living? Some philosophers have suggested that appreciating art makes your life better because it brings you pleasure, or because it gives you valuable knowledge of the world, or because it helps to shape your moral character. In contrast, guest philosopher Professor David Macarthur, defends the view that engaging with artworks acts as a model for engaging with other human beings, and that shared appreciation of art is an important source of intimacy in otherwise isolated lives. 

]]> philosophy, art, living well, pleasure, knowledge, art appreciation No Professor Luke Russell Professor David Macarthur 1 1 4 4 Anger, Forgiveness, and Moving On full 6eb78151-760c-4ace-bfc9-a87b3ec93931 https://share.transistor.fm/s/eaf1bcc8 Victims of wrongdoing are frequently encouraged to forgive and move on, but we seldom pause to ask what forgiveness amounts to. In this episode, Luke Russell and guest Glen Pettigrove discuss why forgiveness is beneficial, and ponder the question as to whether sometimes it might be too dangerous to forgive. The episode also looks at the  connection between forgiveness and love, and asks whether it makes sense to forgive someone for blamelessly breaking your heart. 

]]> Victims of wrongdoing are frequently encouraged to forgive and move on, but we seldom pause to ask what forgiveness amounts to. In this episode, Luke Russell and guest Glen Pettigrove discuss why forgiveness is beneficial, and ponder the question as to whether sometimes it might be too dangerous to forgive. The episode also looks at the  connection between forgiveness and love, and asks whether it makes sense to forgive someone for blamelessly breaking your heart. 

]]> Thu, 19 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1543 Victims of wrongdoing are frequently encouraged to forgive and move on, but we seldom pause to ask what forgiveness amounts to. In this episode, Luke Russell and guest Glen Pettigrove discuss why forgiveness is beneficial, and ponder the question as to whether sometimes it might be too dangerous to forgive. The episode also looks at the  connection between forgiveness and love, and asks whether it makes sense to forgive someone for blamelessly breaking your heart. 

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Professor Luke Russell Peter Adams Professor Glen Pettigrove 1 1 3 3 Liberalism and the Good Life full efb0f6f2-4d18-4cfd-b857-1d1f449d9443 https://share.transistor.fm/s/90605f5a Liberalism – a value system that prioritises equality, reciprocity, tolerance, and fairness – is under attack from all sides. In this episode, Luke Russell and Alex Lefebvre consider whether liberalism could count as a free-standing and defensible conception of the good life. They examine the relationship between liberal values and other things that matter, including knowledge and achievement, and they explore the tensions that can arise within liberalism itself. 

]]> Liberalism – a value system that prioritises equality, reciprocity, tolerance, and fairness – is under attack from all sides. In this episode, Luke Russell and Alex Lefebvre consider whether liberalism could count as a free-standing and defensible conception of the good life. They examine the relationship between liberal values and other things that matter, including knowledge and achievement, and they explore the tensions that can arise within liberalism itself. 

]]> Thu, 12 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1536 Liberalism – a value system that prioritises equality, reciprocity, tolerance, and fairness – is under attack from all sides. In this episode, Luke Russell and Alex Lefebvre consider whether liberalism could count as a free-standing and defensible conception of the good life. They examine the relationship between liberal values and other things that matter, including knowledge and achievement, and they explore the tensions that can arise within liberalism itself. 

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Professor Luke Russell Peter Adams Professor Alex Lefebvre 1 1 2 2 Blaming Yourself Better full 6126cedb-68ab-4fda-95ab-53d1758a7f6c https://share.transistor.fm/s/5543e907 Self-help gurus often recommend that you stop blaming yourself. In this episode, Luke Russell and Hannah Tierney ask whether this really is good advice. They outline the nature of self-blame, explore the ways in which it can become dysfunctional, and try to figure out when blaming yourself might help you to repair the damage done by your own wrongdoing. 

]]> Self-help gurus often recommend that you stop blaming yourself. In this episode, Luke Russell and Hannah Tierney ask whether this really is good advice. They outline the nature of self-blame, explore the ways in which it can become dysfunctional, and try to figure out when blaming yourself might help you to repair the damage done by your own wrongdoing. 

]]> Thu, 05 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1169 Self-help gurus often recommend that you stop blaming yourself. In this episode, Luke Russell and Hannah Tierney ask whether this really is good advice. They outline the nature of self-blame, explore the ways in which it can become dysfunctional, and try to figure out when blaming yourself might help you to repair the damage done by your own wrongdoing. 

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Professor Luke Russell Peter Adams Dr Hannah Tierney 1 1 1 1 Is there More to Life than Happiness? full ff726a4e-c1a1-49e9-ad2c-b4c18f40972c https://share.transistor.fm/s/45301cff Everyone hopes to find happiness, but what is that they are seeking? In this episode, Luke Russell and Caroline West discuss the difference between feeling good and living well, and explain some of the ways in which we fail to predict what will make us happy. They also consider whether it would ever make sense to choose a more meaningful life over a happier life. 

]]> Everyone hopes to find happiness, but what is that they are seeking? In this episode, Luke Russell and Caroline West discuss the difference between feeling good and living well, and explain some of the ways in which we fail to predict what will make us happy. They also consider whether it would ever make sense to choose a more meaningful life over a happier life. 

]]> Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:25:02 +1100 Professor Luke Russell Professor Luke Russell 1339 Everyone hopes to find happiness, but what is that they are seeking? In this episode, Luke Russell and Caroline West discuss the difference between feeling good and living well, and explain some of the ways in which we fail to predict what will make us happy. They also consider whether it would ever make sense to choose a more meaningful life over a happier life. 

]]> philosophy, living well, happiness, forgiveness, liberalism No Peter Adams Professor Luke Russell Dr Caroline West