A Conversation with Christopher Gill on Stoicism and Virtue | Ideas That Matter Interview Series
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
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This is a video in my new series of 1-on-1 interviews, conducted with people who - in my view - are doing interesting work with ideas that matter, often (though not exclusively) from the field of philosophy.
In this one, I have a sit-down conversation at the end of the Stoicon conference with Christopher Gill, Emeritus Professor of Ancient Thought at University of Exeter. Prof. Gill is one of the founding members of the Modern Stoicism organization, and has made major contributions to the study of ancient philosophy.
We start by discussing Prof. Gill's current book project, which aims to systematically outline the ethics of ancient Stoics as a virtue ethics appropriate to our own time and then spin off into a number of other related topics, including the nature of community, contrasting Stoicism with Aristotelianism (including that of contemporary philosophers such as Alasdair MacIntyre), some speculations about Aristotle and Alexandrian culture, Stoic views upon animals and humans, and what Stoicism might have to say about economic life.
Some of Christoper Gill's works:
The Structured Self in Hellenistic and Roman Thought - amzn.to/2zYnFtK
Personality in Greek Epic, Tragedy, and Philosophy: The Self in Dialogue - amzn.to/2IMTcSA
Naturalistic Psychology in Galen and Stoicism - amzn.to/2pJwpOG
2:06 Gill’s Current Book project
3:41 Macintyre in “After Virtue” paints Stoics as Deontologists predating Kant
4:44 Gill disagrees with this assessment.
4:54, 5:42,Stoics solve a problem Macintyre has
6:43 Community and Connection
7:00 Human Beings Have Moral capacity and critical selection that can lead them to a sound idea of the good.
8:59 Aristotle, Athens, Alexander, Athens. In “The Politics”, none of the Greek City-States are as they should be.
10:20 “Where is the insistence on the Polis as where virtue comes from?”
11:17 Ideal Polis.
12:23
12:37 “The Stoics go one step further.”
13:13 The Stoic Ethics Framework
14:18 One problematic feature of Stoicism. Animals.
16:15 Nature’s Providence
16:55 Nature’s Inbuilt Human instincts/desires
18:08 Gill’s change of Stoic view to be consistent. Duty of care toward other animals and the enviornment.
18:35 Providence gives human beings a higher standard.
19:58 Classical Utilitarianism
20:57 Situations. Certain decisions properly made. Learn how to select which difference we allocate. On what grounds/context?
22:18 What are we maximizing?
23:08 Utilitarian algorithms don’t work.
24:27 The Good of Utilitarianism
25:12 Goes well with Social Action
25:55 Bank Collapses and No Safety Net.
27:02 “When will the book project be finished?”
27:26 “Books write themselves”
27:47 Academic Books “shopped out” ahead of time
29:07 Final Thoughts
#stoicism #philosophy #ethics
2:06 Gill’s Current Book project
3:41 Macintyre in “After Virtue” paints Stoics as Deontologists predating Kant
4:44 Gill disagrees with this assessment.
4:54, 5:42,Stoics solve a problem Macintyre has
6:43 Community and Connection
7:00 Human Beings Have Moral capacity and critical selection that can lead them to a sound idea of the good.
8:59 Aristotle, Athens, Alexander, Athens. In “The Politics”, none of the Greek City-States are as they should be.
10:20 “Where is the insistence on the Polis as where virtue comes from?”
11:17 Ideal Polis.
12:23
12:37 “The Stoics go one step further.”
13:13 The Stoic Ethics Framework
14:18 One problematic feature of Stoicism. Animals.
16:15 Nature’s Providence
16:55 Nature’s Inbuilt Human instincts/desires
18:08 Gill’s change of Stoic view to be consistent. Duty of care toward other animals and the enviornment.
18:35 Providence gives human beings a higher standard.
19:58 Classical Utilitarianism
20:57 Situations. Certain decisions properly made. Learn how to select which difference we allocate. On what grounds/context?
22:18 What are we maximizing?
23:08 Utilitarian algorithms don’t work.
24:27 The Good of Utilitarianism
25:12 Goes well with Social Action
25:55 Bank Collapses and No Safety Net.
27:02 “When will the book project be finished?”
27:26 “Books write themselves”
27:47 Academic Books “shopped out” ahead of time
28:53
29:07 Final Thoughts
Thanks - will add it to the description, and give you a credit on the video if I can
This video on Stoic ethics and its various aspects is truly enlightening and thought-provoking. Chris Gill's expertise and his work on Stoicism, coupled with his exploration of Galen's psychology, add depth and credibility to the discussion. The topics covered, such as the relationship between nature and ethics in Stoicism and its contribution to contemporary virtue ethics, offer fresh perspectives in the field. It's fascinating to see how Stoicism, often overshadowed by Aristotle in discussions on virtue ethics, emerges as a more engaging and suitable framework for ethical engagement.
Chris Gill is indeed one of the good ones
.. And five years, still listening! I find some of Stoic ethics a can of worms. Great to hear a really open-minded discussion.
Like any real ethics (as opposed to oversimplifying abstractions of them), Stoic Ethics is indeed complex
Great discussion. Thanks for the video!
Enjoyed your conversation, thank you Greg.
You're welcome!
Great conversation, thank you.
You're welcome!
Great discussion!
thanks!
Awesome discussion. Want to check out some of Gill’s work. Thanks!
It's worth it
Really outstanding! I wish you had talked more about Aristotle, his alien status, and the need for community in order for virtue to develop and flourish. After Alexander's death Aristotle fled to avoid the fate of Socrates. It suggests that despite Aristotle's many virtues he always remained an outsider and was never fully accepted in Athens.
What do think of the argument that the change from Athenian self-rule (5th Century) to Macedonian rule (4th Century) was a result of a long period of decline in the virtues both individual and institutional in Athens?
I've got an entire video lecture on Aristotle and Alexander the great. No need to keep Prof. Gill talking about that topic - was glad I could get him for half an hour after the event, and before our next obligations that day