The pursuit of unhappiness : the elusive psychology of well-being /

The pursuit of unhappiness : the elusive psychology of well-being /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Haybron, Daniel M.
Imprint:	Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, ©2008.
Description:	1 online resource (xv, 357 pages)
Language:	English
Subject:	Happiness. Well-being. Happiness. Well-being. Electronic books.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11217930

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	0191562912 9780191562914 1281868426 9781281868428 9780199545988 0199545987
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-341) and index. Print version record.
Summary:	Dan Haybron presents an illuminating examination of well-being, drawing on important recent work in the science of happiness. He shows that we are remarkably prone to error in judgements of our own personal welfare, and suggests that we should rethink traditional assumptions about the good life and the good society. - ;The pursuit of happiness is a defining theme of the modern era. But what if people aren't very good at it? That is the question posed by this book, the first comprehensive philosophical treatment of happiness, understood here as a psychological phenomenon. Engaging heavily with the scientific literature, Dan Haybron argues that people probably know less about their own welfare, and may be less effective at securing it, than common belief has it. This is largely because human nature is surprisingly ill-suited to the pursuit of happiness. For the happiness that counts for well-being is not a matter of what we think about our lives, but of the quality of our emotional conditions. Yet our emotional lives are remarkably difficult to grasp. Moreover, we make a variety of systematicerrors in the pursuit of happiness. These considerations suggest that we should rethink traditional assumptions about the good life and the good society. For instance, the pursuit of happiness may be primarily a matter of social context rather than personal choice. This book offers an extensive guide to philosophical thinking about happiness and well-being, correcting serious misconceptions that have beset the literature. It will be a definitive resource for philosophers, social scientists, policymakers, and other students of well-being.
Other form:	Print version: Haybron, Daniel M. Pursuit of unhappiness. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, ©2008

Description
Summary:	The pursuit of happiness is a defining theme of the modern era. But what if people aren't very good at it? This and related questions are explored in this book, the first comprehensive philosophical treatment of happiness in the contemporary psychological sense. In these pages, Dan Haybron argues that people are probably less effective at judging, and promoting, their own welfare than common belief has it. For the psychological dimensions of well-being, particularly our emotional lives, are far richer and more complex than we tend to realize. Knowing one's own interests is no trivial matter. As well, we tend to make a variety of systematic errors in the pursuit of happiness. We may need, then, to rethink traditional assumptions about human nature, the good life, and the good society. Thoroughly engaged with both philosophical and scientific work on happiness and well-being, this book will be a definitive resource for philosophers, social scientists, policy makers, and other students of human well-being.
Physical Description:	1 online resource (xv, 357 pages)
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-341) and index.
ISBN:	0191562912 9780191562914 1281868426 9781281868428 9780199545988 0199545987