What is happiness? How can we find a path to happier lives? Is there a single secret to happiness? Or does happiness mean different things to different people?
For generations, questions about human happiness have preoccupied philosophers across the world. “The Philosophy of Happiness” looks at philosophers from Ancient China and Greece to the present day. It explores the varied approaches that philosophers have taken to thinking about what happiness means; looks at what some of the greatest minds in history have said about why happiness matters; and asks how we might be able to attain greater happiness through taking practical steps in our own lives.
By the end of the course, you might not have discovered the secret of happiness, but you will have a better understanding of how to think more philosophically about happiness and a greater knowledge of the many different strategies that philosophers have proposed for building a happier world.
Dr. Will Buckingham is a writer and philosopher currently based in Sofia, Bulgaria. He has a PhD in philosophy, and a masters degree in anthropology. He is the author of 11 books, and has contributed to Dorling Kindersley’s globally-bestselling The Philosophy Book. He has also written an introduction to philosophies of well-being called "Introducing Happiness: A Practical Guide" (Icon Books / Totem Books). He has taught in universities in the UK, China, Myanmar and Bulgaria.
