Philosophy and Happiness [Hardcover]

A useful resource for anybody interested in contemporary thinking on happiness, Philosophy and Happiness encompasses a variety of philosophical traditions and draws from empirical work in psychology and economics to answer some of the oldest, and most pressing, questions about what contributes to individual well-being and life satisfaction.Acknowledgements Notes on contributors Introducing Philosophy and Happiness; L.Bortolotti PART I: HAPPINESS AND THE MEANINGFUL LIFE Happiness and Meaningfulness: Some Key Differences; T.Metz Happiness, Temporality, Meaning; J.Cottingham Tragic Joyfulness; P.Tabensky Shape and the Meaningfulness of Life; L.James Immortal Happiness; M.Quigley& J.Harris 'I am well, apart from the fact that I have cancer': Explaining Well-being within Illness; H.Carel Suffering in Happy Lives; M.W.Martin PART II: HAPPINESS AND THE MIND. Reflections on Positive Psychology; E.Duncan, I.Grazzani-Gavazzi& U.K.Subba Face Value. Perception and Knowledge of Others' Happiness; E.Zamuner The Politics of Happiness: Subjective vs. Economic Measures as Measures of Social Well-being; E.Angner Happiness and Preference-Satisfaction; I.Law The Politics of the Self: Stability, Normativity and the Lives we can Live with Living; J.Lenman Happiness and Life Choices: Sartre on Desire, Deliberation and Action; J.Fern??ndez The Reflective Life and Happiness; V.Tiberius References and Bibliography Index

'Individually, the chapters in this book are all of a high quality and can stand on their own, but when read together an interesting dialogue emerges that shows how investigations proceeding from different starting points can work together to reveal a clearer picture of what it is we are studying...A rewarding and thought-provoking read, it proposes some intriguing answers and, perhaps even more importantly, raises still further questions that can help direct our investigations into the elusive nature of happiness.' - International Journal of Well-Being