You’ll notice that our blog has a new look. This was not exactly intentional (the blog has fully transitioned over to me, after disappearing for a few days on account of my technical incompetence), and certainly doesn’t dazzle,  but I suspect no one comes here for the look of it anyway. Also, it might change again!

I am off to Switzerland now for a conference in honor of an intellectual hero of mine, and to record another episode of Sacred & Profane Love (this time on Donna Tartt’s absolutely spellbinding novel, The Secret History, with the ever brilliant, Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.). I hope to get back to a regular schedule of releasing new episodes after an especially unforgiving October lecture schedule.

In the meantime, I have another podcast episode to share.  I recorded this episode of The Veritas Forum podcast, titled, “Happiness is Not Self-help” last April, just before my Veritas Forum event at Yale University with Dr. Laurie Santos. While at Yale, I was a guest in Laurie’s very famous class on happiness, and we had a public debate about whether virtues are “life hacks” (answer from me: no, they most certainly are not “life hacks”). I’m teaching a graduate level course on happiness right now, and my experience at Yale comes up quite a bit.  At some point I hope to blog about what Laurie and I could (and definitely could not) agree about happiness and the good life.  But for now, this podcast relates some of my basic thoughts and concerns about her approach.