Irrationality and Happiness

Billon, Alexandre

Document type :

Article dans une revue scientifique

DOI :

10.26556/jesp.v11i1.108

Title :

Irrationality and Happiness

Author(s) :

Billon, Alexandre [Auteur]
Savoirs, Textes, Langage (STL) - UMR 8163 [STL]

Journal title :

Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy

Pages :

1-27

Publication date :

2016-12-01

ISSN :

1559-3061

HAL domain(s) :

Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Philosophie

English abstract : [en]

There is a long tradition in philosophy of blaming passions for our unhappiness. If only we were more rational, it is claimed, we would live happier lives. I argue that such optimism is misguided and that, paradoxically, ...
Show more >There is a long tradition in philosophy of blaming passions for our unhappiness. If only we were more rational, it is claimed, we would live happier lives. I argue that such optimism is misguided and that, paradoxically, people with desires, like us, cannot be both happy and rational. More precisely, if someone rational has desires he will not be fully happy, and if he has some desires that are rational and – in a yet-to-be-specified sense – demanding, he will be frankly unhappy. Call this claim Rational Pessimism. The argument for Rational Pessimism can be considered as a variation on a Schopenhauerian argument that bluntly claims that, because desires involve lack and suffering, desiring souls like us cannot be happy. I argue that, even if Schopenhauer’s argument escapes most attacks that have been targeted against it, it faces decisive empirical objections. I argue that Schopenhauer’s argument can, however, be rescued if it is assumed that we are rational.Show less >

Language :

Anglais

Peer reviewed article :

Oui

Audience :

Internationale

Popular science :

Non

Collections :