Happiness is Overrated is a
straightforward book about the value of happiness that develops a plausible
conclusion.  Bellotti explains in his
preface that happiness is not something that we pursue directly, but rather is
a result of pursuing meaningful lives. 
As he goes on to explain, if we define happiness as a subjective
feeling, (rather than as a state or process of flourishing), then it is not always
a great good, and sometimes it is not even good at all.   The first three chapters are devoted to the
philosophical discussion of happiness, and are the most philosophically
rigorous.  In the first, Bellotti
examines Greek, Roman, and Christian perspectives, while in the second, he
briefly discusses more modern views from Kant to modern social psychology.  The third chapter moves to more contemporary
philosophical positions, focusing on the work of Richard Kraut, John Kekes,
Lynn McFall, with some discussion of some general philosophical views.  Then in the fourth chapter, he surveys the
modern psychological literature on how best to achieve happiness, using the
work of researchers such as David Lykken, David Myers and Martin Seligman.  Finally, the book discusses the meaning of
life, not so much as to what it is but rather what it means to ask whether life
has meaning. 

Belliotti writes well, peppering
the scholarly argument with easily recognizable examples and a fairly
conversational tone.  Occasionally he
refers to his own life and family as a way to explain his ideas.  His arguments go by fairly quickly, and so
they might not satisfy scholars expecting an exhaustive examination of the
issues, but on the other hand, they should be approachable by most
undergraduates and interested lay-readers. 
It would be easy to use this as a textbook in an undergraduate course,
since it provides a helpful historical survey of the philosophical discussion
of happiness. 

All through the book, Belliotti
emphasizes that a plausible account of happiness is not compatible with the
view that happiness is the greatest good. 
In the final chapter, he leans towards existentialist accounts of life’s
meaning, according to which one creates one’s own meaning.  He provides a very short survey of religious
views, both eastern and western, and then he moves on to Nietzsche and Camus,
but all along the way his discussion is informed by comparisons to ancient
philosophical approaches. 

Most readers will learn something
from Happiness is Overrated, and those who are looking for a systematic
general introduction to the topic of happiness will find this book does the job
well. 

© 2005 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved. 

Christian
Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities
Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long
Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Review.  His
main research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and
psychology.

Categories: Philosophical, Ethics