Podcast #166: Self, Soul, and Living a More Idealistic Life | The Art of Manliness

On the surface, modern Western life is amazing. We have food in abundance and we can access a world of information right from a device we can carry in our pocket. But modernity feels flat. It doesn’t feed the Soul. Something inside of us aches for something richer, deeper, and more meaningful. At least that’s how I’ve felt these past years. But I’ve never been quite able to articulate what I’m longing for or why. That is until I read Self and Soul: A Defense of Ideals by Mark Edmundson. In his book, Edmundson, a professor of English at the University of Virginia, sharply illuminates notions and inklings that have crept into my mind the past few years. In Self and Soul he argues that we in the West have turned our backs on the world of ideals (the Soul) and have embraced a culture of the Self. It’s a fascinating cultural, literary, and philosophical history where we learn about the ideal of Courage from Achilles and Hector and the ideal of Compassion from Jesus and Buddha. After making his case for these ancient ideals, Edmundson provides some suggestions on how us 21st century folk can revive the Soul in our lives today. In today’s podcast we discuss courage, compassion, and contemplation, how Shakespeare and Freud killed ideals, and the things we can do to live a more soulful life today. Follow us! https://ift.tt/1FOPIX2 http://twitter.com/artofmanliness https://ift.tt/YAd15k https://ift.tt/1DUJeqE