Nicomachean Ethics

A Philosopher’s One-Word Theory for Why the World Feels So Weird

Plain English with Derek Thompson, 14 July 2026. The book comes up at 27 min 3 sec in.

Agnes Callard cites the Nicomachean Ethics to illustrate that virtue ethics has a built-in positivity bias: it organizes moral inquiry around what courage, wisdom, justice, and generosity look like, treating failures as secondary. She uses this to contrast ancient moral culture with the unicontext's tendency to amplify the negative and centre condemnation.

Listen to this episode ↗︎