Don’t Worry, Be Happy — Or Else

April 19, 2006

The science of happiness. What nonsense! And the Government should help us be happy? Like the IRS has done?

TCS Daily - Don’t Worry, Be Happy — Or Else

With research into subjective well-being, economists are making statements about what constitutes the good life. In doing so, we are encroaching on territory once claimed by philosophers and theologians — and, more recently, by self-help gurus. In the 70’s, it was I’m OK, You’re OK. Now, we are saying “I have positive net affect, you have positive net affect.”
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Still, I have a feeling that if happiness research proceeds far enough, it will serve merely to rediscover some eternal truths. For example, this New York Times story cites work by Claudia Senik, who found that “that when people aspire to a better quality of life within the next 12 months, the attempt to reach that goal alone — the anticipation independent of the outcome — seems to bestow happiness in the present.” Have the sages not been telling us this for centuries?

Meanwhile, it may be too early to proclaim that “science” is going to inform government policy to lead us down the path to a good life. We have had many false starts with “science” in the past. Consider “scientific socialism” or the psychological “science” of Freud or of B.F. Skinner. The “science” of subjective well-being may be another chimera.

This is the result of the prevalent secular worldview. For now, I will simply suggest that a Christian worldview deals with mysteries like happiness (and unhappiness) in a much more satisfying and intellectually honest way. One of these days I’ll no doubt have more to say about that.

Dave, happy as a clam.

Posted by Dave | Filed Under Bible, Economics 

Comments

3 Responses to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy — Or Else”

  1. hmurray on April 20th, 2006 7:50 pm

    I use the saying often. Sometimes I ask myself: How do we know how happy a clam is? How do we know all clams are happy?

    Hank, being his usual wise ass self.

  2. admin on April 21st, 2006 7:29 am

    Why, because of his enigmatic smile with his (or her) mouth shut, as I think of the clams I have known.

  3. hmurray on April 21st, 2006 12:34 pm

    Come to think of it, keeping mouth shut does increase happiness.

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