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Philosophies of Happiness Diana Lobel

Philosophies of Happiness By Diana Lobel

Philosophies of Happiness by Diana Lobel


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Summary

Philosophies of Happiness provides a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a fulfilling life. Diana Lobel brings together a broad range of philosophical traditions-Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary-to show that certain themes resonate across texts, suggesting core features of a happy life.

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Philosophies of Happiness Summary

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

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 Gita; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dogen 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.

Philosophies of Happiness Reviews

An impressive comparative study of conceptions of happiness found in East Asian, South Asian, and Western traditions of thought that will be read with interest by a wide range of scholars in religious studies, philosophy, and psychology. -- Philip J. Ivanhoe, City University of Hong Kong I know of no other work that engages so many traditions comparatively; this work stands to make a significant contribution to our understanding of happiness across different religious and philosophical traditions. -- Erin M. Cline, Georgetown University

About Diana Lobel

Diana Lobel is associate professor of religion at Boston University. She is the author of Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari (2000), A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue: Philosophy and Mysticism in Ba?ya Ibn Paquda's Duties of the Heart (2006), and The Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Experience (Columbia, 2011).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Aristotle: The Life of Engaged Activity
2. Epicurus: Happiness Is Pleasure
3. Confucian Happiness: Ritual, Humaneness, Music, and Joy
4. Daoism: Attentive Awareness and Effortless Ease of Action (Wu-Wei)
5. The Bhagavad Gita: Non-attached Action and the Universal Spirit
6. St. Augustine: The Happy Life of the Soul
7. Maimonides: The Joy of Learning, Prayer, and Devotion
8. The Sufi Path of Love in 'Attar's Conference of the Birds
9. Mindfulness, East and West
10. Dogen's Soto Zen and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
11. Creative Engagement and the Art of Living
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Additional information

CIN0231184115VG
9780231184113
0231184115
Philosophies of Happiness: A Comparative Introduction to the Flourishing Life by Diana Lobel
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Columbia University Press
20171114
400
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Philosophies of Happiness