Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy

Michael Foley

3.88 · Rating details · 2,061 ratings · 216 reviews

The good news is that the great thinkers from history have proposed the same strategies for happiness and fulfilment. The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of wellbeing and satisfaction a ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 240 pages

Published 2010 by Simon & Schuster

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Age Of Absurdity, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Age Of Absurdity

Lists with This Book

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR by American Psychiatric Associ...

Books Every Psychology and/or Counseling Doctoral Student Should Read

1,155 books — 1,372 voters

The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch

KiwiFoo Camp 2012 Recommendations

65 books — 11 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.88 ·

Rating details

· 2,061 ratings · 216 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy

Nov 10, 2013 Hugh Howey rated it it was amazing

I picked this one up in the American Bookstore in Amsterdam to read while on some work travels. I've never laughed out loud like this while reading a book of philosophy. I also have rarely been so moved by the prose of a work of non-fiction.

Foley takes a tour of the things that make us unhappy, shows why we spend much of our time doing the opposite of what might make us happy, and gives a few hints regarding new paths to take if we want to improve our outlook on life and ourselves. It's not a se ...more

flag 52 likes · Like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Robert rated it liked it

This is about 50% of the greatest self-help book ever written. Only '50%' becaise while Foley is able to nail down - with the support of many a Stoic, Buddhist and psychologist - precisely what makes people unhappy, he stumbles significantly when musing on how to overcome those things.
In short, everything which western civilisation is striving towards is precisely what's making us all so miserable. Americans are apparently the most likely people to suffer from depression, little wonder in a land This is about 50% of the greatest self-help book ever written. Only '50%' becaise while Foley is able to nail down - with the support of many a Stoic, Buddhist and psychologist - precisely what makes people unhappy, he stumbles significantly when musing on how to overcome those things.
In short, everything which western civilisation is striving towards is precisely what's making us all so miserable. Americans are apparently the most likely people to suffer from depression, little wonder in a land which promises everything and which values econimic success and the accumulation of goods over all other things, save perhaps the death-cult of Christianity.
Unfortunately, Foley can't seem to see any good in the modern world at all. Video games are dismissed as childish fantasy, whereas books aren't. By making that comparison, Foley immediately condemns all gamers as escapists who can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not. He similarly derides rap music out of hand, not bothering to find out that a a significent portion of rap is not about self-aggrandization and 'bling', in doing so he frequently comes across is an old fuddy-duddy who has reached the conclusion that bad = anything he doesn't like. I suspect he needs to read a little more of his beloved Nietszche.
He blunders again when bemoaning the fact that there are very few books about the grinding pointlessness of office work and the idiocy of those in charge. Evidently a certain television series called 'The Office' has passed him by because its on silly old worthless television. This is a shame because the Christmas Special of Gervais' 'Extras' TV show was very much a meditation on happiness and the disparity between what a person wants and what a person needs.
To put the boot in just one more time; take the chapter 'The Absurdity Of Work' too close to heart and you'll wind up as just the sort of fake, shallow smiles-in-suits which makes office life so unbearable. Gah!

If it sounds as if I'm being particularly harsh or negative, its simply because there is so much of great worth here, and Foley writes with such wit and humour that it's such a glaring shame when he turns out to be such a curmudgeon. An essential read, but do so critically. ...more

flag 45 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2010 Sharon4 rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2015 Thomas rated it did not like it

Shelves: non-fictie

This book is more opinion than fact, and that opinion is that of a grumpy old man.
For a book that ultimately wants to promote happiness, the tone is frighteningly negative.
The few interesting original insights in the book get buried under shallow rants. The author takes his high-brow academic lifestyle as the benchmark for how we all should live and in doing so he judges everyone who has different tastes: e.g. reality TV is both cause and consequence for what's wrong in the world and if we all ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 21, 2012 Bataviaan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Adolescents, existentially burdened people

Shelves: interesting

Highly valuable book, with very wise insights, spot-on analyses and laughing out loud humor. A feast of recognition that provides a much needed mirror and suggestions for living better.

Long lasting happiness is elusive and hard to attain. Even more so in our affluent culture where the focus seems to be on the external at the cost of inner emptiness.

I am very happy to have read this book. The author's honest realism helps to reflect on the things that are happening before our eyes everyday. The t ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2012 Eric added it · review of another edition

Good, but not great. Worth reading, but meh :-)

I don't know. On the one hand, Blessed are the Grumpy. It's nice to see somebody shaking a curmudgeonly fist at society and with a bit of style. And it's nice to see a book and ties together a lot of different sources of ideas from Buddhism, literature, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, etc; especially if you have exposure to a subset of the stuff (for example Buddhism and some of the pop psych stuff like the “hedonic treadmill“ from the Paradox Good, but not great. Worth reading, but meh :-)

I don't know. On the one hand, Blessed are the Grumpy. It's nice to see somebody shaking a curmudgeonly fist at society and with a bit of style. And it's nice to see a book and ties together a lot of different sources of ideas from Buddhism, literature, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, etc; especially if you have exposure to a subset of the stuff (for example Buddhism and some of the pop psych stuff like the “hedonic treadmill“ from the Paradox of Choice). Book probably deserves an extra star for making me want to read some Marcel Proust sometime.

It all starts out well for me when it stays in the abstract, the general big picture. There, the book works as a fairly good antidote, a good way to get over myself a bit. It's good to hear words like “entitlement“ and “self-justification” and have them hit home a little. Then the author starts to get to the specifics in Part II and up, and the sighs start. Because you realise that while a lot of the book is about recognising the absurdities of the modern age, some of it is actually just random nostalgic nonsense.

Sometimes what you sense is that no matter how widely read, educated, insightful and educated the grumpy are, sometimes books like this are just about people being from a different era and not having a clue how the current one works. It's perfectly normal. That's why you need to read across generations to help reduce the probability that you wind up doing the same thing. But I suspect that's why much of modernity seems absurd, not so much because it is absurd, although a good massive chunk of it is, but because it's just bewildering and you don't Get It unless you've been steeped in it, and even then it's unlikely that you will. That's why Foley stumbles through the 21st century with a sense that you can no longer satirise contemporary society, that Reality and articles from The Onion have become indistinguishable from each other.

There's good shit in here.

There's also opinionated ignorance. Smart, erudite ignorance, but ignorance nonetheless.

(Although note that I'm probably just a bit ticked off by his portrayal of the modern Conditions and Disabilities culture in the chapter “The Undermining of Responsibility“ because of my present life circumstances, and that's coloured my view of the rest of the book. So take me with salt) ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 10, 2012 Martine rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: have-e-book

This is a terribly annoying book to read. The first part resembles what I imagine it feels like to have a truck load of quotes dumped on your head. Confusing, painful, but every now and then a useful thought hits you. Is all the namedropping of famous philosophers supposed to cover up that the author has no actual research to back up his assertions?

From the second part on the book gets better. A lot of what is said is thought-provoking, if not right. However, the air with which it is said annoys ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2015 Szymon rated it it was ok

Like a curmudgeonly old man shouting at clouds Michael Foley has successfully managed to complain about every aspect of modern life without offering any coherent solution.

'Sorry everyone! Things used to be way better, we're living ~20-30 years after the best of times.'

In paraphrased summary: 'Slow down,' 'It's all about the journey.' ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2014 Jenni rated it it was ok

Shelves: book-club

Michael Foley has a few interesting ideas, but what he needs more than anything is an editor.

It was so hard to get through this book. The first 3/4 of it consists of rambling complaints about modern society. It's organized by chapters, but honestly, I was never sure what point he was trying to make because he jumped around so much. The only point he ever really drove home was "Everything is wrong with kids these days. Get off my lawn." It's mostly descriptive, offering anecdotes from famous aut ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 04, 2014 Russell Blake rated it it was amazing

A fascinating, erudite, compelling exploration of the philosophy and science of happiness - whether it's achievable as a sustained state, what brain chemistry tells us about love and infatuation, our biological drive for transcendent states and why they are essentially unsustainable, why variety may be wildly overrated and misunderstood, why the great philosophers all seem to arrive at the same conclusions about man's search for meaning...

I've recommended this book to at least a dozen friends. I ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2011 David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

I agree with Chris in that some people wouldnt read this book because it would actually expose their own limitations and people dont like to hear that their belief system is rather vapid. There are some great insights in this book and the moments of mocking are delivered with great aplomb. One of my favourite lines in this book is when he is talking about 2nd Life "2nd life is the only place where 2 heterosexual men can have a lesbian affair".

He also shares my views that "difficulty is crucial, ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2017 Bouke rated it liked it

This book has its moments, but here's a summary of the conclusion: try to be more present in the moment and have genuine experiences instead of just cruising life on auto pilot. Also some parts of the book annoyed me because the author was just being an old curmudgeon instead of actually providing insight.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2016 Krishnan rated it really liked it

A well written and humourous summary of everything wrong with the state of our lives today

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 25, 2010 Mark Love rated it liked it

The fact that modern life can make it hard to be happy is undoubtedly true. And nostalgia isn't what it used to be either. Michael Foley has clearly been brooding for some time over the cause(s) of his dissatisfaction with the world, and has produced a comprehensive, convincing, and enjoyably readable, analysis of why he feels it is so.

This is a "practical philosophy" book akin to any one of Alain de Botton's, with almost as many references to Proust, though slightly less pretentious and with ma The fact that modern life can make it hard to be happy is undoubtedly true. And nostalgia isn't what it used to be either. Michael Foley has clearly been brooding for some time over the cause(s) of his dissatisfaction with the world, and has produced a comprehensive, convincing, and enjoyably readable, analysis of why he feels it is so.

This is a "practical philosophy" book akin to any one of Alain de Botton's, with almost as many references to Proust, though slightly less pretentious and with many more occurences of the word "fellate". Foley also references Frances Wheen's excellent "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World" which deals with similar themes regarding the death of rational thought that has accompanied the rise of the "all opinions are valid" and "everyone's got talent" culture that increasingly surrounds us.

Foley takes a swipe at the attention-deficit generation, leading shallow lives, dreaming about celebrities and with facile water-cooler work-based joviality and sex-obsessions. Although his references to The Death of Ivan Ilyich and The Great Gatsby perhaps only go to show that there is little new in any of this, and Foley's own sex-obsessions could perhaps match that of any 19 year old.

As you would expect from an academic, the book is very well referenced and describes some fascinating psychology experiments that support his musings on motivation, reward and happiness, although some of the conclusions seem a bit shakey and the distinction between causation and correlation is not always clear. And the chapter entitled "Loss of Transcendence" begins with an anecdote about an unappreciative and distracted audience at a Bruce Springsteen gig, that almost undermines the entire chapter - to lament families taking mobile phone pictures of themselves, rather than "the early days of rock and roll when audiences went crazy, smashed up theatres and ran riot in the streets" perhaps suggests only that he is looking in the wrong place.

That said, there is much here to reflect on. In particular the chapters on ageing, work and love contained many insightful reflections and some (though sadly not enough) practical guidance for dealing with life's fears, disappointments and tribulations.

...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 05, 2017 Venky rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

The modern world is all about conformity. A conformity to material trappings, a conformity to rigid norms, a stereotypical conformity with behaviour forming part of the zeitgeist of the age. The very gestalt of life has become a compliance with conformity. This is so very absurd, that it has become fashionable to conform to absurdity itself! Anyone left behind this herd bandwagon is deemed to be an outcast, imbecile, pariah or a social and cultural misfit. Michael Foley in this remarkably entert ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2011 Ludo rated it liked it

Shelves: philosophy

When I surf the net and read the blogs ..I have the impression that a lot of sites are dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. You can achieve happiness with meditation, diet or sports, by becoming a digital nomad, by keeping your possessions under 50 items, by living smaller, by becoming your own boss etc...the list goes on and on. Never have we been more unhappy in a more affluent society. Michael Foley does a good job in going for the roots and causes of this very difficult and possibly very t ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2017 Nancy rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychology, sociology, non-fiction, philosophy

I really enjoy books which are cross-disciplinary, and this one digs into psychology, philosophy, literature, sociology and religion. The overarching thesis is how this age of plenty in which we live is actually a cause of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, and that in order to find happiness, there are a number of very simple things we should attend to. Mindfulness, striving, dissociation and transcendence were a few of them, but as simple as these things sound, in the age of 24-hour news, social ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 13, 2010 Leo Africanus rated it really liked it

A wonderfully witty debunking of the false claims of modern life. Foley reasons beautifully for a little more detachment and difficulty in our lives to counter our innate sense of entitlement (itself a logical continuation of the battle for rights in the 1970s and subsequent eschewing of duties). He also outlines the importance of the dying art of gratitude and questions the conformity and passivity induced by organised religion - characterising both Jesus and the Bhudha as activists.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 Froggy rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy

This i s a treasure of a book. Foley approaches all lifes traps and pitfalls and systematically attacks them.

This book shines a light of skewed or faulty thinking, WHY people think such things and believe other things and gives starling ideas on how to improve ones self without the pat crassness of self help books by using psychology to understand ones nature and philosophy to understand general nature.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2012 Finbarr rated it it was amazing

The book really made me think about modern society and how we exist in it. We're told that today's world prizes individuality, but never have we been more flockish. It's an eye-opener: well written, humorous (without being OTT) and comprehensive. It's encouraged me to explore the areas of existentialism and stoicism further

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2017 Mandar rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy

A weird but well written book. It's not a self help book at all. It's about looking at the world as it most likely is, not the way you fantasize.
Enjoyed various quotes and snippets and stories that the author has sprinkled throughout. Well done.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2018 Aurélien Thomas rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: society

Can we be happy in our current western world? Michael Foley tackles here the problem posed by the notion of happiness and what it does imply -from philosophy and religions to psychology and neurosciences- before confronting such approaches to our modern societies.

If he doesn't answer explicitly to the question of happiness being still possible or not (if it ever was!) he paints an humorous, light and relevant enough picture of our times for his wandering thoughts to be entertaining. The thing is Can we be happy in our current western world? Michael Foley tackles here the problem posed by the notion of happiness and what it does imply -from philosophy and religions to psychology and neurosciences- before confronting such approaches to our modern societies.

If he doesn't answer explicitly to the question of happiness being still possible or not (if it ever was!) he paints an humorous, light and relevant enough picture of our times for his wandering thoughts to be entertaining. The thing is, he sees in 'our age of absurdity' several tendencies that, paradoxically for an era obsessed with individualism, feed in fact feelings of alienation, frustration and anxiety relying, more often than not, on mislead type of satisfaction.

From triumphing consumerism to the culture of rights and victimisation, from egalitarianism to the psychiatrisation of our weirdest behaviours, here's a shot at a world where infantilisation goes hand in hand with an irresponsibility both funny and worrying. Funny because, at the risk of sounding sarcastic, I too like to make fun of those consultants, advisors, mentors, instructors, gurus, therapists, personal trainers and other life coaches (ha ha! 'life coaches'? Really!?) the whole lot flourishing out of simplistic philosophies yet blossoming thanks to a widespread naïve ignorance. Worrying because, indeed, the fact there are more and more naïve ignorants out there to buy into such mumbo-jumbo leaves, well, quite speechless. Is that the price to pay for our race to happiness in our postmodern culture?

Anyway, I am not a pessimist type of person yet I had to admit that, living in societies where everything worth anything and when, on the one hand, intellectual and academic achievements are ignored if not discarded but, on the other hand, any shallow moron is able to be famous just by, for example, appearing on a stupid reality TV show left me quite, euh... Thoughtful!

Between sarcasm, stoicism, zen Buddhism and, even, a sprinkle of debunking, here's an amusing little book, interesting and punchy, that will leave the reader smiling all the way through. Now, come on! Gimme all I want and now cuz, I AM entitled to it! :-) ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 09, 2019 Fahed Al Kerdi rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, in-my-racks, class2019, pop-science

If you are below 50, this book is not for you.
I couldn't relate any of this book's ideas to its title. However, that doesn't mean the book is bad, it simply means the book is dedicated for a certain type of readers.
This book is providing the retirees with a methods to look up for happiness, using the author's and some other philosophers and authors' opinions about life and happiness.
Don't waste your time on this book, while there are much meaningful books in the world...

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 E rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy-criticism

Any passionate writer taking on the "This is what's wrong with the world today" project is doomed to polarize his readers. Most can agree that every generation sees new trends, beliefs and technologies that are taken too far, but few can agree on the exact point at which "too far" occurs. Bearing that in mind, I was not surprised to find many of Foley's arguments to be absolutely spot-on, while others were too broad-sweeping.

Let's start with his mistakes. Steeped in his own social privilege, he Any passionate writer taking on the "This is what's wrong with the world today" project is doomed to polarize his readers. Most can agree that every generation sees new trends, beliefs and technologies that are taken too far, but few can agree on the exact point at which "too far" occurs. Bearing that in mind, I was not surprised to find many of Foley's arguments to be absolutely spot-on, while others were too broad-sweeping.

Let's start with his mistakes. Steeped in his own social privilege, he dismissed many new developments that have improved the lives of thousands of people, just not necessarily white, straight, cis, able-bodied men like him. His emphasis on the pleasure-focused nature of sex today made many good points, but he dismissed all that is transgender and transsexual as mere fads complicating the beauty of what was once simple and natural. And his attempt to sound blasé with his use of the word "trannie" is obnoxious and cruel. Professors are famous for developing massive egos disabling them from considering any experience other than their own, but this can never be an excuse for outright xenophobia. (And shame on his publisher for letting it slide.)

Othertimes, Foley should have conceded that his arguments were sheer matters of taste. He argues well that silence is now endangered on account of the very real trend of music being played in every possible public facility - including bookstores - but he slips into a personal temper tantrum when he claims that it's the choice of rock and rap today that offends because the Baroque muzak of the olden days was innocuous. (If you want to get my 60 year-old father to leave any place, just play some Baroque.) And if I hear one more British author bemoan the fact that a young man of today will no longer name the King or Queen the most influential person but (gasp!) a pop star - y'know, someone who actually did something to earn their fame - I'm going to march in Trafalgar Square demanding the monarchy go if the UK wants to still be considered a democracy.

But I wanted to get these complaints out of the way, because Foley made many good ones that led me to see so much of the garbage that's accompanied the gifts of progress. For example:

*The openness with which we discuss sex has done wonderful things to reduce unwanted pregnancy and violence. It has also led to sex becoming overwhemingly commercial - sex toys, sex exhibitions, swinger clubs - and this makes it one more sector of life demanding we BUY! BUY! BUY! and SPEND! SPEND! SPEND! in order for it to happen. Foley points out the emphasis on the chemical high - whether produced by orgasm or infatuation - is the often mistaken for the definition of love, detracting from the value we should place on commitment.

*The ubiquity of personal cameras and the availability of the Internet to instantly exhibit every image have done wonderful things for art and long-distance relationships. But it is also blurring the lines between living life and performing. "In the modern world," he writes, "an event has not really happened if it has not been photographed or filmed."

*The workplace has become less prison-like, more supportive of diversions and the concept of team-building. But it has also become so informal - the required conduct so aggressively friendly - that we risk losing any distinction between our professions and our personal lives.

*The surging popularity of science fiction and fantasy worlds - whether in video games or in film - has done wonderful things for our collective imagination. But it also signifies a rise in escapism, the desire to avoid issues of everyday life and role-play in time periods as far removed from the present as possible. "But fantasy makes reality seem even more disappointing," he writes, citing Kirkegaard, "and intensifies the need to escape."

*Multi-tasking has done wonderful things to combat isolation, as seen in the parents who can now work from home. But it has accelerated from managing two activities to managing three; instead of merely talking on the phone while cooking, it's now acceptable to talk on the phone while cooking and checking the Internet for any news or Tweets or Facebook status updates.

*The human rights movements of the past 40 years have done wonderful things to begin the process of bringing justice to minorities who have been disenfranchised for centuries. But justice for minorities sometimes devolves into a sense of entitlement by those hoping minority status can be used as an excuse for anti-social behavior. (This is most commonly seen regarding psychiatric disorders, wherein many seek out diagnoses and medications for themselves or their children, but not Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or anything requiring - there's that word again - commitment.) This leads to an overemphasis on identity, with which one is born and can do nothing about, instead of character, which one must work to develop.

All of these new developments have applications in certain situations, but destroy many joys of life when they dominate all situations. Foley's book is a tribute to those joys and a grumpy kick to the giant shins of their killers.

...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2017 Timothee rated it did not like it

Shelves: started-never-finished

This was highly disappointing.
If anything, the book itself seems absurd and the author spends more time complaining with no real talk whatsoever.
The smartest thing about this book is the title.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 21, 2020 Emma Houchell rated it it was amazing

On my list of 'books to read repeatedly'

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2018 nina rated it it was ok

Shelves: nonfiction, philosophy, psychology, culture, mindful-living, 2

I can't remember why I bought this book - I think I spotted it on a list somewhere and hello Amazon, thank you for my book. When it arrived I looked at the blurb on the back and noticed that it had met with the Daily Mail's approval, and instantly regretted buying this, expecting a dumpfest on progress and change.

And it is precisely that!

Okay, maybe not precisely that. There's a lot in this book that makes you think. Modern life is a pressure cooker existence. We fall prey to things like status I can't remember why I bought this book - I think I spotted it on a list somewhere and hello Amazon, thank you for my book. When it arrived I looked at the blurb on the back and noticed that it had met with the Daily Mail's approval, and instantly regretted buying this, expecting a dumpfest on progress and change.

And it is precisely that!

Okay, maybe not precisely that. There's a lot in this book that makes you think. Modern life is a pressure cooker existence. We fall prey to things like status anxiety, not keeping up with the latest trend, the latest fashion, the latest technology. Advertising and media endlessly bombards us with false images of perfection and happiness, images that are difficult to re-create for ourselves. How can anyone achieve happiness when the world around them is offering a schema for happiness that is only achievable for the few? Of course it's absurd when we attach happiness to objects, newness, wealth, beauty, etc.

Foley talks at length about the issues that make it hard to be happy, and I'm right with him on a lot of points. However, he is also having an epic old guy rant. If he updated this edition, he would be calling droves of people snowflakes. I could practically hear his eyes rolling when he spoke about how practically anything can be reconceptualised as a disorder. A lot of his ranting amounts to how everything was better in the old days. His chapter on the absurdity of love, Jesus. It was just a man shouting 'what's wrong with the missionary position?!'. The ending of the chapter full-on made me want to gag at his soft-focus view of sexual intimacy being offered up as THE transcendental experience.

Foley seems to have forgotten one massively important thing in this book: just because he can't be happy in the modern world, doesn't mean no one can be happy in the modern world. Also, this seems to me a man in a privileged position venting dissatisfaction at how his world has changed. This is a guy who was too much of a snob to be a teacher, and then hated having to work too much when he became an academic higher up the educational food chain. He brought up some good points, sure, but mostly he just moaned without suggestions on exactly how we remedy unhappiness in the modern world, when he wasn't being snide or looking down his nose at the absurd world we live in.

Weirdly enough, using the example of Sisyphus, at the end of the book he seems to suggest that accepting our fates with humilty, happiness and absurdity may be the way to keep calm and carry on. So what the fuck was all that moaning about? You mean happiness and absurdity can co-exist? Well I never. /throws book aside ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Adam rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm afraid I found this a bit of a grumblefest.

It might be because I spotted this in the bookshop of the Whitechapel Gallery that I expected more about art. I thought I was going to learn about Kierkegaard, Kafka, and Camus, and their relation to the modern age. All that is mentioned, but for the most part this book concentrates on a detail of the things which make us unhappy.

Not that he doesn’t do a good job of explaining the difficulties in finding happiness. Just sometimes it felt like it was ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2019 Mich rated it it was ok

Foley draws heavily on stoicism, Buddhism and Camus (amongst a wide range of other sources) to argue that the value of life is in struggle and that we should practice detachment - difficult in a world of advertising and instant gratification.

Whilst I find some of his sources interesting and agree with some points I feel like the book suffers in two ways.

One, that whilst there were a couple of interesting points in there, they come at the cost of wading through the author's (not very well struct ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Tariq Mahmood rated it it was amazing

Shelves: philosophy

This is my second reading of this great critique of modernity. I love the length and breadth of the extensive critique on offer in this book, ranging from love to corporate cultures. Where the narrative drifts is the author's insistence on value of detachment in this very open and crowded modern life of ours. If detachment was so important to human survival than why has its use receded? For I believe that Human beings are only looking to survive in this world in the best possible manner and evol ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Age Of Absurdity:	1	19	Oct 09, 2013 11:35AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Nonfiction

84 users

Philosophy

65 users

Psychology

35 users

Sociology

15 users

Self Help

14 users

Culture > Society

10 users

Cultural

9 users

Politics

6 users

Economics

4 users

Social Science

4 users

See top shelves…

About Michael Foley

Michael Foley

34 followers

Originally from Killavullen, Co Cork, Michael Foley has written Kings of September, winner of the 2007 BoyleSports Irish Sportsbook of the year. He also ghostwrote Harte: Presence Is the Only Thing, the autobiography of Tyrone gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, shortlisted for the 2009 William Hill Irish Sportsbook of the Year.

Winner of the GAA’s McNamee Award in 2008 and shortlisted for Sports ...more

Books by Michael Foley

Embracing the Ordinary: Lessons From the Champions of Everyday Life

Britain's Railway Disasters: Fatal Accidents from the 1830's to the Present Day

More…

News & Interviews

Escape the Present with These 24 Historical Romances

You know the saying: There's no time like the present...unless you're looking for a distraction from the current moment. In that case, we can't...

Trivia About The Age Of Absurd...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Age Of Absurd...

“The talent for self-justification is surely the finest flower of human evolution, the greatest achievement of the human brain. When it comes to justifying actions, every human being acquires the intelligence of an Einstein, the imagination of a Shakespeare, and the subtlety of a Jesuit.” — 29 likes

“Being constantly the hub of a network of potential interruptions provides the excitement and importance of crisis management. As well as the false sense of efficiency in multitasking, there is the false sense of urgency in multi-interrupt processing.” — 11 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — The Age Of Absurdity by Michael Foley

The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Michael Foley

Books by Michael Foley

News & Interviews

Trivia About The Age Of Absurd...

Quotes from The Age Of Absurd...

See a Problem?

Preview — The Age Of Absurdity by Michael Foley

The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Michael Foley

Books by Michael Foley

News & Interviews

Trivia About The Age Of Absurd...

Quotes from The Age Of Absurd...

new topic
Discuss This Book