How and How Not to Be Happy

  • 6h 40m 24s
  • J. Budziszewski
  • Blackstone Audio, Inc. dba Blackstone Publishing
  • 2022

It’s time to start asking the right questions about happiness.

The West is facing a happiness crisis. Today, less than a quarter of American adults rate themselves as very happy—a record low. False views of happiness abound, and the explosion in “happiness studies” has done little to dispel them. Why is true happiness so elusive, and why is it so hard to define?

In How and How Not to Be Happy, internationally renowned philosopher and happiness theorist, J. Budziszewski, draws on decades of study to dispel the myths and wishful thinking that blind people from uncovering lasting fulfillment.

Could happiness lie in health, wealth, responsibility, or pleasure? Should we settle for imperfect happiness? What would it even mean to attain perfect fulfillment? Budziszewski separates the wheat from the chaff, exploring how to attain happiness—and just as importantly, how not to.

About the Author

J. Budziszewski is a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. The author of eighteen previous books, he is internationally recognized for his work on natural and divine law, moral character, happiness, and ultimate purpose, and has been featured in National Review, The Weekly Standard, First Things, and numerous other publications.

In this Audiobook

  • Chapter 1 - Why Is How to Be Happy or Fulfilled Even a Question?
  • Chapter 2 - How Not to Find the Answer to the Question-and How to Find It
  • Chapter 3 - What We All Mean by Happiness-Whatever It Is
  • Chapter 4 - Could Wealth Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 5 - Could Bodily Health or Beauty Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 6 - Could Fame or Sheer Notice Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 7 - Could Glory or Praise Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 8 - Could Loving or Esteeming Ourselves Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 9 - Could Power or Responsibility Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 10 - Could Pleasure or Delight Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 11 - Could Painlessness or Annihilation Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 12 - Could Meaning or Commitment Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 13 - Could Love or Friendship Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 14 - Could Virtue Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 15 - Does It All Come Down to Luck?
  • Chapter 16 - Could Anything in This World Be Happiness?
  • Chapter 17 - The Imperfect Happiness to Which These Reflections Point
  • Chapter 18 - Why Shouldn't We Settle for Imperfect Happiness?
  • Chapter 19 - Is Happiness Something We Feel We Have, or We Do?
  • Chapter 20 - If Happiness Is Something We Do, Then What Activity Is It?
  • Chapter 21 - Can We Do It on Our Own?
  • Chapter 22 - Could We Ever Do It on Our Own?
  • Chapter 23 - What Kind of Help Would We Need?
  • Chapter 24 - How Can We Get That Help?
  • Chapter 25 - The Paradoxes of Perfect Fulfillment
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