On Happiness

Having a job, exercising, drinking less, making friends and being thin can apparently all make us happy. What is happiness? Why should we want it? How do we get it? Is there a science of happiness? These questions and more are at the heart of Caroline West'¬"s lively philosophical examination of one of the oldest philosophical and psychological problems. West distinguishes different kinds of happiness'¬ ;feeling happy, being a happy kind of person and having a happy or satisfying life'¬ ;before considering the different approaches to happiness belonging to Aristotle, Bentham, Mill and the Stoics as well as Buddhism. She then asks whether a happy life is sufficient for a good life, drawing on some fascinating examples from film and literature such as Barbarellaand The Matrixand Brothers Karamazovand Brave New World. She also considers answers to the big question: what causes happiness and what are psychologists attempting to measure when they talk about '¬Üsubjective well-being'¬"? Drawing on a rich range of sources, On Happinessis an enlightening study of an intriguing and elusive concept.