The Conquest of Happiness

Description

“Should be read by every parent, teacher, minister, and Congressman in the land.”—The Atlantic In The Conquest of Happiness, first published by Liveright in 1930, iconoclastic philosopher Bertrand Russell attempted to diagnose the myriad causes of unhappiness in modern life and chart a path out of the seemingly inescapable malaise so prevalent even in safe and prosperous Western societies. More than eighty years later, Russell’s wisdom remains as true as it was on its initial release. Eschewing guilt-based morality, Russell lays out a rationalist prescription for living a happy life, including the importance of cultivating interests outside oneself and the dangers of passive pleasure. In this new edition, best-selling philosopher Daniel C. Dennett reintroduces Russell to a new generation, stating that Conquest is both “a fascinating time capsule” and “a prototype of the flood of self-help books that have more recently been published, few of them as well worth reading today as Russell’s little book.” Introduction by Daniel C. Dennett Preface I Causes of Unhappiness 1. What Makes People Unhappy? 2. Byronic Unhappiness 3. Competition 4. Boredom and Excitement 5. Fatigue 6. Envy 7. The Sense of Sin 8. Persecution Mania 9. Fear of Public Opinion II Causes of Happiness 10. Is Happiness Still Possible? 11. Zest 12. Affection 13. The Family 14. Work 15. Impersonal Interests 16. Effort and Resignation 17. The Happy Man