Tranquillity (Forum for Philosophy)

What does it take to live a good life? The idea that we should aim to cultivate a state of “tranquility” is important to both Eastern and Western thought on this question, from Confucius to Epicurus and to Christianity. But is it true?

Is tranquility a recipe for good mental health, well-being and fulfilment, or merely a way to cut ourselves off from what really matters? Should a life well lived include periods of suffering and stress?

Speakers

Liam Kofi Bright (@lastpositivist) is an assistant professor of philosophy. He usually works on social epistemology, the study of how groups produce and disseminate knowledge. But he would quite like a bit of tranquility in his own life.

Zena Hitz (@zenahitz) is a Tutor at St John’s College. Her book, Lost In Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life has been translated into Arabic, Catalan, Japanese, Turkish, and Spanish. Trained in classical philosophy, her essays have appeared in First Things, Modern Age, New Statesman, the Washington Post, and Womankind.

Alex Voorhoeve is Professor and Head of Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at LSE. He studied economics and philosophy at Erasmus University, Cambridge, and UCL. He has held visiting positions at Harvard, Princeton, the National Institutes of Health, U.S. and Erasmus University Rotterdam. He works on the theory and practice of distributive justice (especially as it relates to health), on rational choice theory, moral psychology, and Epicureanism.

Chair

Roman Frigg is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. His research interests lie in general philosophy of science and philosophy of physics.

Further info