Serialised book (with a progressively updated >>dashboard/ToC<< page). Part II: Philosophy of the Life Instinct
Book: Philosophy of Life Instinct: Chapter 25: Happiness
How can we get it, give it, and keep it?
Happiness is the El Dorado of our emotions. We all want to be happy, but what is happiness, and how do we get it? An entire book or this chapter is unlikely to grasp this world of a million facets completely, but let’s make a reasonable attempt, for if there is anything worth our while, this is it. This chapter could evolve constantly, and I am not sure I’ll ever be satisfied with it, but the broad view of happiness from the context of the Life Instinct (Chapter 4) is here.
We will explore what happiness is, its purpose, how it works in our brain, whether happiness is essential, individual versus social happiness, speciesism and happiness, factors that affect it, the wrong turns happiness can take, whether we can measure happiness and how we can make ourselves and others happy.
What is happiness, and why does it exist?
Happiness is a state of mind characterised by the presence of positive emotions such as contentment, well-being, safety, love, pride, excitement, pleasure…
