Happiness and Goodness

How should we evaluate the success of each person's life? Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano maintain that our well-being is dependent not on particular activities, accomplishments, or awards but on finding personal satisfaction while treating others with due concern. Cahn and Vitrano link their position to elements within both the Hellenistic and Hebraic traditions, particularly the views of Epicurus and lessons from the Book of Ecclesiastes.

How should we evaluate the success of each person's life? Countering the prevalent philosophical perspective on the subject, Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano defend the view that our well-being is dependent not on particular activities, accomplishments, or awards but on finding personal satisfaction while treating others with due concern.

The authors suggest that moral behavior is not necessary for happiness and does not ensure it. Yet they also argue that morality and happiness are needed for living well, and together suffice to achieve that goal. Cahn and Vitrano link their position to elements within both the Hellenistic and Hebraic traditions, in particular the views of Epicurus and lessons found in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Written in an accessible style and illustrated with incisive vignettes drawn from history, literature, films, and everyday life, Happiness and Goodness is a compelling work of philosophy for anyone who seeks to understand the nature of a good life.

Cahn Steven :

Steven M. Cahn (PhD, Philosophy, Columbia) is Professor of Philosophy at The City University of New York Graduate Center, where he served for nearly a decade as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, then as Acting President. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including From Student to Scholar (Columbia, 2008), Fate, Time, and Language (Columbia, 2010), Polishing Your Prose (Columbia, 2013), Freedom and the Self (Columbia, 2015), Happiness and Goodness (Columbia, 2015), and Religion Within Reason (Columbia, 2017); his textbooks and anthologies on ethics, philosophy of religion, and introduction to philosophy, published by Oxford, have appeared in multiple editions.Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has written or edited some fifty books, including Fate, Logic, and Time; God, Reason, and Religion; Saints and Scamps: Ethics in Academia; and From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor.

Christine Vitrano is associate professor of philosophy at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She is the author of The Nature and Value of Happiness and coeditor, with Steven M. Cahn, of Happiness: Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy.

Ed Lake, Deputy Editor, Aeon:
I can't remember the last time I read a book about ethics that was so fascinating.

David Shatz, Yeshiva University:
This crisply written and incisive book draws on ancient thought and contemporary examples to develop a compelling account of living well.

Dov Weiss, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
Happiness and Goodness is a phenomenal book that offers innovative and penetrating insights into the most fundamental questions of human concern, such as happiness, love, morality, death, and God. Drawing from a vast array of philosophical, religious, and literary sources, Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano brilliantly challenge long-standing assumptions about what it means to live a satisfying and successful life. They also have an uncanny ability to transmit their ideas in a vivid and enjoyable fashion by providing colorful vignettes and everyday life stories. I, for one, could not put the book down.

Andrea Tschemplik, American University:
Happiness and Goodness reminds me of a Socratic dialogue. The absence of jargon and use of realistic examples in this book make philosophy accessible to all interested in improving their lives.