Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Lives Well Lived is hosted by Peter Singer & Kasia de Lazari Radek. Episodes consist of interviews with remarkable guests who have lived well, both in the sense of living an ethical life, but also in that they are fulfilled and happy with what they have achieved in their lives. Some of these guests will be well-known figures, but others who are doing extraordinary things will be unfamiliar to almost all of our listeners. The conversations will often cover ground that involves ethics, how to live well, and how to make a positive difference in the world. It will inspire and empower its audience to change their own lives for the better.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Ethical living, meaning and “mattering” • Happiness science, wellbeing policy, mindfulness, addiction • Decision-making, nudges, optimism bias • Neuroscience of emotion, consciousness, free will • Animal ethics, activism • Social justice, effective altruism, moral ambitionThis podcast features in-depth interviews with public intellectuals, scientists, artists, activists, policymakers, and people with unusual life experiences, framed around what it means to live well. Conversations commonly blend ethical inquiry with practical questions about fulfillment, purpose, and how individuals can align their values with their work, relationships, and daily choices.
Across the episodes, a recurring theme is the psychological and philosophical basis of wellbeing: how happiness is defined and measured, why people often mispredict what will satisfy them, and how concepts like “mattering,” attention, optimism, mindfulness, and addiction shape lived experience. Many discussions draw on neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics to examine emotion, decision-making, consciousness, free will, and the role of beliefs and social context in shaping perception and behavior.
Ethics and moral ambition are another through-line. Guests consider how to expand moral concern beyond one’s immediate circle, how to think clearly about doing good, and how public policy, institutions, and markets can help or hinder human flourishing. Topics include effective giving, wellbeing-oriented governance, climate responsibility, educational inequality, public health, and demographic change.
The show also regularly addresses moral controversies and hard trade-offs, especially around animal ethics and activism, including questions about human exceptionalism, the moral status of animals, and the strategic compromises involved in pursuing social change. Alongside these analytical discussions are personal narratives about creativity, fame, resilience, exile, political courage, and building a meaningful life amid uncertainty, conflict, or public scrutiny.
