This is a book about ten Great Ideas. Each chapter is an attempt to savor one idea that has been discovered by several of the world’s civilizations - to question it in light of what we now know from scientific research, and to extract from it the lessons that still apply to our modern lives. It is a book about how to construct a life of virtue, happiness, fulfillment, and meaning.
The Paperback cover. Finally, a beautiful rather than conceptual cover. (Here is the story of how the elephant photo was taken.) Until now, publishers have always insisted on using a smiley face on the cover. The sun on the American 1st edition was originally supposed to be a smiley face, until the author threatened to hold his breath and go on a hunger strike.
"An intellectual tour de force that weaves into one fabric wisdom that is ancient and modern, religious and scientific, Eastern and Western, liberal and conservative—all with the aim of pointing us to a more meaningful, moral, and satisfying life.” --
David G. Myers, Professor of Psychology, Hope College, author of Intuition: Its Powers and Perils
“For the reader who seeks to understand happiness, my advice is: Begin with Haidt.” --Martin E. P. Seligman, Professor of psychology, University of Pennsylvania, author of Authentic Happiness
