In this episode, we discuss the philosophical perspective called hedonism and how happiness is revered as worth pursuing for its own sake. Like most philosophical positions, we discuss the arguments against hedonism, including the paradox of hedonism, false happiness, and happiness and autonomy. Then we move on to discussing Viktor Frankl and his amazing book, "Man's Search for Meaning." Finally, we end on some psychological literature about the paradox of seeking happiness.

Should we be happy? After hearing these the thoughts shared in this episode, I would be curious to hear your answer to that question!

There is a book I used to get a lot of information from this episode. It's one of my favorite books. A link is attached for the Fundamentals of Ethics, Man's Search for Meaning, and the research that demonstrates the paradox of pursuing happiness.

https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Ethics-Russ-Shafer-Landau/dp/0199997233

https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TFUB8BW0CAU8&keywords=man%27s+search+for+meaning&qid=1696219645&s=books&sprefix=man%27s+search+for+meaning%2Cstripbooks%2C120&sr=1-1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160511/#:~:text=Leading%20people%20to%20value%20happiness,be%20happy%20to%20one's%20circumstances.