![]() Of course this is intended as a survey, but the authors do draw a substantive conclusion from it: No one has succeeded in establishing any unified conception of happiness, and "when we pursue happiness for ourselves or for others, the goal is not a simple but a complex one, and if we are trying to measure well-being, a single metric will not suffice" (43). And all this before taking up threads from the work of economists and psychologists. The first section comprises chapters on "The Philosophy of Happiness" and "Happiness in History." The former traces philosophical reflections on happiness from Aristotle through Sidgwick, and provides a good example of the breathtaking pace sometimes assumed in the book: Aristotle, the Epicureans and Stoics, Augustine, Aquinas, Scotus, Kant, and the utilitarians are mown through in rapid succession. I will give a brief overview of each section, and then turn to some critical points. Each section consists of two chapters, with the first written by Anthony, and the second by Charles Kenny. These components determine the structure of the book, with a section devoted to each, bounded on one side by a historical introduction and on the other by moral and political policy recommendations. The book's title is, of course, a play on the words from the American Declaration of Independence, and the authors take life, liberty, and happiness - recast as welfare, dignity, and contentment - to be the three components of human well-being (or happiness in a sense broader than just contentment). The book's main thrust is to promote a greater sensitivity to these factors and the recognition of global responsibility for promoting the happiness of individuals in a better-informed way. ![]() It is co-authored by father and son, philosopher and economist respectively, and brings to bear both conceptual analysis and empirical research. Andrews Studies in Philosophy and Public Affairs series, comprises an analysis of human happiness and a study of what factors imperil or contribute to it, together with a number of normative recommendations concerning its pursuit by individuals and communities. The Kennys' book, the seventh volume of the St.
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