A Yale-educated philosopher and author of several books, including the recently published “In Love with Life,” spoke Monday at MSU, sponsored by the MSU Department of Philosophy.
“Those that don’t learn from their mistakes are condemned to repeat them … Intelligence is being realistic,” said John Lachs during his presentation on the topic “Enemies of Life” at MSU.
Lachs has been the author of more than a dozen books and 150 articles for both general and academic audiences. He has also been honored academically with the Danforth Foundation’s E. Harris Harbison Award for Distinguished Teaching, Madison Sarrat Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Vanderbilt Alumni Education Award and the Herbert Schneider Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Philosophy.
Lachs also has made hundreds of appearances on television and radio programs to discuss his research into the philosophy of the mind, as well as ethics and political philosophy. He is also chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Centennial Committee, charged with celebrating the private value and social usefulness of philosophy. Finally, Lachs is a Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.
When asked what led him to become a philosopher, Lachs said, “I chose to be a philosopher … I could have been a physician instead, but I chose to be a philosopher. Why? I knew I was interested in all the biggies, the big questions, such as ‘What was the meaning of life?’ The attempt to answer these questions is what led me to philosophy.”
“As a philosopher, you can engage people with wonderful conversations to answer these questions,” Lachs continued.
Lachs’ works often deal with the philosophy of the mind, political philosophy and ethics, centering on human nature. This interest has led him to attempt to define life and aspects of it that can lead to unhappiness.
Explaining how he got the idea for his book, “In Love with Life,” Lachs said, “I’ve long wondered why we love life. Is it because it is sacred? It occurred to me that because of life’s activities that we love life, and that’s why I wanted to write about it. Life is good and it is a great mistake not to enjoy it. The mistakes I make involve not living life to the fullest.”
During his presentation at MSU Lachs spoke on the topic “Enemies of Life,” which examined the effects of memory, anticipation and guilt on human life.
His discussion centered on what he perceived to be the five enemies of life, which consisted of the destruction of cultures, a lack of knowledge and moral progress, obsessive regret of the past, anticipation of the future and unproductive guilt.
Remarking on some of the enemies of life, Lachs stated, “The greatest source of indifference is not knowing…we cannot enact our caring through our technology.”
Lachs commented also on obsessive worrying, “The future is utterly destructive if you worry about it.”
Remarking on Dr. Lachs’ presentation, Yolanda Estes, a professor of Philosophy at MSU, said, “Dr. Lachs is a renowned scholar. I believe his lecture demonstrated his point-that philosophy is relevant to human life and need.”
Lachs defined life at the end of his presentation, concluding, “Life is wonderful, but only if you grab a hold of it with energy and intelligence…Life then to me is what happens now. It is marvelous because of its details.”