Happiness and Education

When parents are asked what they want for their children they usually answer that they want their children to be happy. Why then is happiness rarely mentioned as an aim of education? This book explores what we might teach if we were to take happiness seriously as an aim of education. It asks first what it means to be happy and second how we can help children to understand what happiness is. It notes that to be truly happy we have to develop a capacity for unhappiness and a willingness to alleviate the suffering of others. Criticizing the present almost exclusive emphasis on economic well-being and pleasure it discusses the contributions of making a home parenting cherishing a place development of character interpersonal growth finding work that one loves and participating in a democratic way of life. Finally it explores ways in which to make schools and classrooms happy places.