Six Myths about the Good Life: Thinking about What Has Value

(Paperback)

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Focuses on the values that are worth aiming for in our lives, a topic central to what has been called Philosophy of Life. We all have ideas about good lives. We think that pleasure makes life better. We all want to be happy. We think that achievements make a difference. There is something to all these ideas, but if taken simply and generally they all miss out on something. Six Myths explores what they miss, and in the process gives a sense of what good lives can be.

Reviews

This is the best introduction to philosophical accounts of the good life available. An excellent choice for any student of philosophy, this original and revealing study will inform, stimulate, and challenge even the most sophisticated reader. Kupperman combines the distinctive care, precision, and analytic power of philosophy with the best insights of contemporary psychology and a sophisticated, sensitive, and wise appreciation of the Indian, Chinese, and Western philosophical traditions. The result is a modern classic. --Philip J. Ivanhoe, City University of Hong Kong
Joel Kupperman's little book on the good life is an impressively subtle introduction to this ancient subject, which also fulfills its promise of engaging a general reader. . . . [A] successful and engaging specimen of its kind. There are two features that particularly distinguish the book: The first is Kupperman's inclusion of eastern philosophy, which breathes new life into a very old subject. . . . The second distinguishing feature of the book is Kupperman's inclusion of empirical studies to explore his chosen myths. . . . It would be suitable for undergraduate teaching and, with supplementation, could form the basis of a graduate course. --Samantha Vice, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Six Myths is a consistently clear and engaging book, in the same league as Bertrand Russell's classic work, The Conquest of Happiness. . . . The author's grasp of Eastern thought and the 'positive psychology' movement makes the book useful to a very wide audience. --Charles Guignon, University of South Florida

Author Bio

Joel J. Kupperman is Professor of Philosophy, University of Connecticut. Among his many publications are Six Myths about the Good Life: Thinking about What Has Value, and Classic Asian Philosophy:A Guide to the Essential Texts.