Though not something I would consider one of the best books to read on happiness and life, it's still worth a read. Interesting to follow the inquiry...moreThough not something I would consider one of the best books to read on happiness and life, it's still worth a read. Interesting to follow the inquiry of one man into the nature, causes and geography of happiness... it's like listening to a friend describe one of their "I did it because I can" experiments.
I wish he came to visit Manila, would have loved to hear what he had to say about Filipinos.
Also, I wish I could get to live in Iceland at one point in my life :D(less)
A great introduction for those who are interested in, yet not very acquainted with, philosophy of ego and status.
De Botton discussus status, how socie...moreA great introduction for those who are interested in, yet not very acquainted with, philosophy of ego and status.
De Botton discussus status, how societies come to assign what constitutes high or low status, its effect on an individual's mental state. To illustrate his points, he takes you on a quick historical tour of the different major philosophies and movements that have built on, redefined or outright challenged prevailing definitions of status in different societies.
I highly recommend this book to colleagues in the advertising strategic planning world. This will give you a basic grasp of one of our often used consumer "hot button" -- desire for status. Read this and you will soon find yourself interspersing slides of your consumer FGD quotes with philosophical ideas of the great thinkers. How can a client turn down a consumer insight that's demonstrated at an FGD or ethnography exercise, and then backed up by Adam Smith, Michel de Montaigne, Thomas Hobbes or St. Augustine?
But work aside, I think most people can benefit from reading this book. If you haven't done so yet, Status Anxiety will make you inclined to reevaluate the values that your own social circles and local culture has conditioned you to accept. And it does this without telling you to. Instead, it lays evidence in front of you of how man has, time and again, misattributed indicators of high status.(less)
Thought provoking ang eye opening. It will challenge many assumptions.
Although I think some more editing work could have been done to make it an eas...moreThought provoking ang eye opening. It will challenge many assumptions.
Although I think some more editing work could have been done to make it an easier read with a more logical, easy to follow flow of ideas.(less)
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