Happiness in Action: A Philosopher’s Guide to the Good Life

Philosopher Sandel (The Place of Prejudice) delivers an accessible account of how immersing oneself in a rewarding task can generate meaning in one’s life. Contemplating obstacles to living a fulfilling life, Sandel argues that “at the root of our unhappiness... is a falling away from three virtues that tend to get displaced and distorted by our goal-oriented striving: self-possession, friendship, and engagement with nature.” The author draws upon Western philosophy to examine these virtues, suggesting that Socrates’s “remarkable ability to withstand social pressures” exemplified strong self-possession and that Aristotle’s unsophisticated understanding of physics offers a blueprint for how humans might be in accord with nature instead of trying to dominate it. Reflecting on training to break the Guinness world record for most pull-ups in a minute—a record the author has set three times in the past decade—Sandel posits that though “goal-oriented striving and activity for the sake of itself” appear to be opposites, the latter enables the former. Through thoughtful engagement with ancient philosophy, Sandel proves there are still fresh arguments to be made about how to live a fulfilling life. Falling somewhere between an erudite self-help manual and an accessible philosophical treatise, this provides plenty to ponder. (Sept.)