Happiness and the Good Life

by Martin, Mike W.

• ISBN13: 9780199845217
• ISBN10: 0199845212
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The centrality of happiness to our well-being is such that it was affirmed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In recent years, psychological research has built on years of philosophical inquiry into how we achieve happiness, giving rise to a cottage industry of "happiness studies." Philosopher Mike W. Martin here contributes to the discussion by connecting the meaning of happiness with the philosophical notion of "the good life." He structures the book around key questions like, What is happiness? How is it related to morality and virtue? Is authenticity -- developing our "true self" -- the way to happiness? Does living with illusion promote or diminish happiness? How does happiness co-exist with suffering? Should we pursue happiness for its own sake, or focus on meaningful activities and relationships instead? Is helping others the way to happiness? Is it better to pursue happiness with a partner than alone? How should we balance leisure and work? Will happiness make for a virtuous person? Defining happiness as loving one's life and valuing it in ways manifested by ample enjoyment and a deep sense of meaning, Martin explores the ways in which it interacts with all other dimensions of good lives -- in particular with moral decency and goodness, authenticity, mental health, self-fulfillment, and meaningfulness. He interweaves a variety of examples from memoirs, novels, and films along the way, connecting his discussion of the philosophical issues to related topics that interest all of us: happiness to the virtues, love, philanthropy, suffering, simplicity, balancing work and leisure, and politics. Drawing on this wide-ranging and robust evidence, Martin also makes the case that we need a "politics of happiness" whereby government would marshal the results of recent "happiness studies" in psychology in the application of public policy.

Author Biography

Mike W. Martin is Professor of Philosophy at Chapman University, in Orange, California.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Loving Life	p. 3
Valuing Happiness	p. 20
Betting on Virtue	p. 34
Authenticity	p. 51
Happily Self-Deceived	p. 64
Suffering in Happy Lives	p. 78
Paradoxes of Happiness	p. 91
Happy to Help	p. 107
Shared Pursuits in Love	p. 119
Balancing Work and Leisure	p. 130
Simplicity	p. 144
Felicity in Frankenstein	p. 155
Personal and Political	p. 170
Notes	p. 187
Bibliography	p. 211
Index	p. 225
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