Philosophies of Happiness : A Comparative Introduction to the Flourishing Life / Diana Lobel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lobel, Diana, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Happiness.

Happiness--Religious aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (398 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Columbia University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions-Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary-the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement.Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.Visit https://cup.columbia.edu/extras/supplement/philosophies-of-happiness for additional appendixes and supplemental notes.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

One Aristotle: The Life of Engaged Activity

Two Epicurus: Happiness Is Pleasure

Three Confucian Happiness: Ritual, Humaneness, Music, and Joy

Four Daoism: Attentive Awareness and Effortless Ease of Action (Wu-Wei)

Five The Bhagavad Gītā: Non-attached Action and the Universal Spirit

Six St. Augustine: The Happy Life of the Soul

Seven Maimonides: The Joy of Learning, Prayer, and Devotion

Eight The Sufi Path of Love in ʿAṭṭār's Conference of the Birds

Nine Mindfulness, East and West

Ten Dōgen's Sōtō Zen and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Eleven Creative Engagement and the Art of Living

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Mrz 2019)

ISBN:

9780231545327

0231545320

OCLC:

1046613517