In short
A philosophy professor discusses a mid-career crisis after 25 years in academia, feeling burned out despite loving teaching, and using philosophy to find direction.
Guest backgrounds
No guests are identified in the transcript; the speaker is a philosophy professor (with a wife mentioned).
Key claims
The crisis hit when they finally “took a breath” and questioned whether they wanted to keep doing the same work forever; turning to philosophy again can provide both a new focus and answers to personal questions.
Notable examples
Considering buying a fast car or having an affair, then deciding to write a book instead, prompted by their wife.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOReflecting on Career Choices
0:04 to 0:27
Discussing the realization of wanting more than a repetitive career.
“It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.”
Reflecting on Career Choices
1:20 to 1:47
Discussing the realization of wanting more than a repetitive career.
“But the thought of just doing that over and over again for the rest of my life really hit me hard.”
Transcript
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0:56Kieran Setiya:I am a philosophy professor and it's a career in which you spend, you know, 20, 25 years basically on a grind of undergrad, grad school, getting a job, getting tenure. I sort of reached a point where I was taking a breath for the first time. And it was the first time for 25 years when I'd asked, do I want to do this? It was puzzling to me because I still love philosophy and I love teaching. But the thought of just doing that over and over again for the rest of my life really hit me hard. Well, I think I sort of stumbled around for a while. And I remember a conversation with my wife where I said, you know, I could buy a fast car.
1:39Kieran Setiya:I could have an affair. And she suggested, well, maybe you should write a book about it. So I thought, yeah, OK, that would be a better plan. And turning to philosophy would both give me something to do and potentially give me answers to some of the questions I was asking. The most memorable gifts aren't found. They're made. Zazzle is a custom marketplace where you pick any product, a mug, a card, a tote, a phone case, and make it personal. A photo, a name, an inside joke, the kind of gift that actually fits the person. That's what 30 million customers have been coming back to Zazzle for over 20 years to find.
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From the publisher
Using Philosophy to Deal with a Mid-Career Crisis
27 Feb 2019
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When MIT philosophy professor Kieran Setiya had a midlife crisis, he turned to philosophy for help — and was surprised by how much it had to say.
To find out what he learned, go to https://hbr.org/2019/03/facing-your-mid-career-crisis
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