A philosopher’s argument against the cult of achievement | Zena Hitz: Full Interview

About this video

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Love, sex, and happiness, explained by philosophy | Jonny Thomson: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esneN8HQKeY A philosopher who walked away from an elite academic career to spend 3 years washing dishes in a monastery says that intellectual life has nothing to do with degrees. Zena Hitz argues that the real philosophers are taxi drivers, office clerks, prisoners: Everyday people who exist outside the cult of academia. 0:00 The journey of a disillusioned academic 8:52 What is an intellectual life 14:54 Aristotle and human flourishing 27:30 The philosophy of washing dishes 29:19 Unlikely intellectuals, from Einstein to MC Hammer Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/myth-of-genius/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ►Listen to Big Think Interviews on Spotify Insights from the world's biggest thinkers, now as a podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7KRYoRD1NdF2aoQcBMyPlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Zena Hitz: Zena Hitz is a Tutor at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland and the author of "Lost In Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life." She has a PhD in ancient philosophy from Princeton University and studies and teaches across the liberal arts.