We’ve heard these words so many times:
The idea of happiness plays a central role in our personal and public lives. But what does it mean? And what does it mean to have a right to it? And should we have such a right?
Questions like these are what you get when EconTalk host Russ Roberts welcomes philosopher Daniel Haybron to the show to talk about his new book, Happiness: A Very Short Introduction.
In this episode, Roberts and Haybron attempt to unpack this “suitcase word.”
We hope you’ll spend some more time thinking about this conversation with us. Use the prompts below to spark new thoughts, or better yet- a new conversation. As always, we love to hear from you.
1- Consider Haybron’s views on happiness survey research. To what extent it is possible to measure happiness? In doing so, should we focus on the (lack of) negatives or on the presence of positives?
2- How should research on happiness be used in the policy world? What does Haybron mean when he says, “The important thing for policy that science can do is just–really, for the public mind and for the culture–is help us change the lens through which we think about how our society is doing and where we want to go?”
3- What’s the difference between being a “consumer” and being an appreciator? Which one are you most often? How can you make a culture “healthier,” allowing people to focus less on the material? (And again, should we?)
4- What does Haybron mean when he says, “What makes living with each other bearable, and civilization possible, is the willingness of all parties to limit the exercise of their rights.” What’s the appropriate relatonship between legality, morality, and happiness?
5- Roberts shares what he would tell his younger self today. What would you advise YOUR 21 year-old self with regard to the pursuit of happiness?
READER COMMENTS
John Alcorn
Feb 9 2021 at 10:45am
1. Happiness research is making steady conceptual and empirical progress. For example, see Daniel J. Benjamin et al., What do happiness data mean: Theory and survey evidence, NBER working paper no. 28438 (February 2021):
2. Folk wisdom already knew the most important findings of happiness research: hedonic adaptation, the need for connectedness, the false lure of shortcuts and escapes, the role of personality in happiness, the age profile of happiness.
To improve policy-making would require structural improvements in voice and exit options for individuals; for example, deliberative democracy (sortition + exposure to experts + deliberation + voting), quadratic voting (to present trade-offs between having opinions about everything and caring deeply about a particular issue), and radical education choice (vouchers for tutorials, apprenticeships, training programs, internships, or any school). Happiness research isn’t central here.
3. I fail to see the difference between consuming and appreciating. People who buy fashion appreciate fashion. People who consume craft beer appreciate the taste, banter, and niche. People who consume EconTalk podcasts appreciate the insights, range, conversation, and probing.
4. I am of two minds about Prof. Haybron’s statement. On the one hand, legal rules give a wide berth to social norms, which are close to the ground. However, sometimes minorities or individuals needs legal protection against discriminatory norms. And property rights are crucial to liberty. Don’t good fences make good neighbors?
5. Ah, the fantasy of having the wisdom of lifelong experience in youth! What could be more human — and more self-deceptive?
Luckily, family, friends, and teachers gave me much good example, generous encouragement, and enough rope to hang myself. Crucially, my friends in youth almost never tried to pull me down.
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