Product Description

Six Myths about the Good Life focuses on the values that are worth aiming for in our lives, a topic central to what has been called Philosophy of Life. We all have ideas about the good life. We think that pleasure makes life better. We want to be happy. We think that achievements make a difference. There is something to all these ideas, but if taken simply and generally they all miss out on something. Six Myths about the Good Life explores what they miss and, in the process, gives a sense of what a good life can be.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #679456 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 158 pages

Review
"Six Myths is a consistently clear and engaging book." -- Charles Guignon, University of South Florida

"This is the best introduction to philosophical accounts of the good life available. . . . A modern classic." -- Philip J. Ivanhoe, Boston University

"Six Myths is a consistently clear and engaging book." -- Charles Guignon, University of South Florida

"This is the best introduction to philosophical accounts of the good life available. . . . A modern classic." --Philip J. Ivanhoe, Boston University

About the Author
Joel J. Kupperman is Professor of Philosophy, University of Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Excellent work
I was looking for a text on virtue ethics to have my high school philosophy students read and stumbled upon this. I was also reading and thinking about Borgmann's work on excellence and focal practices and Csikszentmihalyi's work on flow. This brings together the best work from psychology and eastern and western views on the good. The text is the best middle-road philosophy text I've ever come across. The arguments are precise and detailed which take it above the scale of non-philosophical book, but they are clear and concise which also keep the text in the real of non-philosophers. It allows the arguments to work their way deep into your thinking, and I can honestly say that the text has formed a permanent part of my worldview. Given how broad the topic, its effects are far-reaching.

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Not for the serious student
When I first began embarking upon research on hedonism, I decided to pick this book up in order to look at a differing viewpoint. However, after the first chapter I was disillusioned. Kupperman's presentation of hedonism is hopelessly vague and in some cases just plain wrong. The arguments he presents are weak and not well thought out.
The rest of the book is more of the same. It may be a decent book for the beginner looking for a general background in value theory/axiology, but if you are actually interested in argumentation-LOOK ELSEWHERE!!!