Against the “Happy State”

Writing last week in the Telegraph, University of Kent sociologist Frank Furedi argues that “Back in the 1940s and ’50s, the big idea was the Welfare State. Today it is the Happy State.” Furedi, noting that there is more to a good life than mere feeling, is skeptical of the push to apply “happiness research” to politics and policy:

In reality, neither experts nor clever policies can make people genuinely happy. Freud may have been a little cynical when he suggested that his objective was to “convert neurotic misery into ordinary unhappiness”. But he understood that true happiness was an ideal that we pursue but rarely achieve. Nor is that a problem. A good life is not always a happy one. People are often justified in being unhappy about their circumstances and surroundings. Discontent and ambition have driven humanity to confront and overcome the challenges they faced. That is why people like the Controller in Brave New World want us live on a diet of “feelies” and “scent organs”. That is also why we should be suspicious of experts who seek to colonise our internal life.

It’s a thoughtful piece, worth reading.