The Conquest of Happiness

This great philosopher of 20th century has written this master piece sometimes in 1930s and the book is a gem as it tackles the most fundamental issues confronting all of us- issues of envy, family and our over important perception of self. I would rate this book as one of the top 10 I have enjoyed ever.

There is nothing to dislike. There is so much to learn! Incisive in his analysis and brilliant in interpretation, Bertrand Russell sizzles in this book which only someone of his calibre can write. A must read and a must have book.

Not yet finished reading. The overall appearance, print etc are good

Despite poor printing, ie, fading ink, the book in itself is excellent, thought provoking and what not. Long live Russell.

Excellent book. A must read for everyone who suffers from pessimism. Everyone should have it in their home. It's been translated in many languages. Bertrand Russell really understood life in the most thorough manner. (:This book doesn't come up in search results of Amazon. I don't know why. Fortunately I got the link from some other website. It's non existent on Amazon search. Hope amazon fixes this.

The book is a classic that I first read more than 30 years ago. I wanted a copy for my home library so bought this. I am only giving it 3 stars because the color of the font is very faint. Maybe they only want youngsters to read itThe book itself has influenced my life in more ways than I can count. Read and reread multiple times. Especially if you are young

Gem of a book !

A bit costly, got a used book at Rs1K. Original book. Better to search for cheaper alternative

This book exemplifies the importance of reflection when trying to give advice to others. While reading it, I can see that Russell did not write the book for the sake of filling the 'self-help' section in a book store, but he wrote with the earnest attention of sharing what he thought, after experiencing life and reflecting on it, a person must consider if he is to conquer happiness.Such a great book.

This is a short and very enjoyable read. There isn’t really anything new or sensational about Mr. Russell’s advice on how to live a happy life but it’s easy to understand, (most of it) makes total sense and it’s all nicely tucked into a nutshell and sprinkled with humour.Although the book was first published in 1930, many of the topics are as relevant today as they were nearly a hundred years ago. Others not so much, e.g. his ideas on the nature of women and their role in society and his views on “savages” and “civilisation”.The chapter on “Family” comes across as quite ironic as Mr. Russell was not famous for being a good family man. I don’t know anything about his relationship with his children but I understand that he was quite the womaniser, went through four marriages and strayed plenty so he didn’t quite heed his own advice in that respect.

I have to say that when I bought this book I was pretty skeptical and even cynical about the topic matter, having read Russell's History of Western Philosophy and some of the other titles in the Routledge Classics and expecting something similar.I was very pleasantly surprised and intend to re-read this book annually, Russell wrote this book for a mass audience, combining philosophy, psychology and common sense Russell first surveys what he believes to be the main causes of unhappiness, byronic unhappiness, competition, boredom and excitment, fatigue, envy, the sense of sin, persecution mania and fears of public opinion, and then proceeds to consider the possible sources of happiness Zest, affection, the family, work, impersonal interests and effort or resignation.Some of it can appear dated and the work of the age in which it was written, for instance I think that he wrote about a sense of sin at a time where this could be a great deal more troubling to the conscience than present day, then again I remind myself that there are probably people and places where this remains very much the case today.I cant fault Russell in his ultimate conclusion that to be happy one should live objectively, have a wide range of interests and be as sincerely and genuinely interested in and warm towards others, engaging with the world instead of retreating from it where possible. The book is full of great advice about how living after this fashion can permit you to cope with the sources of unhappiness which Russell perceives.Russell also, in his wisdom, does not pretend to have all the answers and when he does touch upon the topic of psychology does say that it is possible that on occasion more professional advice and assistance could be called for, something that I think is very much lacking in other self-help genres or treatise.I would also recommend this book as very readable, its jargon free, the pace is excellent and I enjoyed it as much as any book of its kind or more light reading like genre fiction.

Although Bertrand Russell was first and foremost a mathematician, he was also a brilliant philosopher who wrote on various topics, happiness being one of them. Russell stands apart from many of his contemporaries in that his writing is candid, plain, and sometimes humorous. In this essay, Russell expounds on the different facets of happiness. He tells us we must spread our interests far and wide as possible for a more fulfilling life. He highlights the difference between what he considers superficial and fleeting happiness versus a form of happiness that is deeper and lasting. Russell also reminds us that our problems are not as significant as we make them out to be and to change our perspective by asking ourselves, what’s the worst that can happen? Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was a quick read. If you think philosophy is stuffy, unrelatable, or abstruse, you haven’t read Russell. Although Russell was from a different era, many of his thoughts are refreshingly modern, and his prose is as timeless as ever. You’ll come away with a piece of wisdom that will help shift your perspective and get you thinking. Happy reading!

Una fiesta de sentido común aplicado a los problemas del día a día por una de las grandes mentes del siglo XX. Inteligencia y claridad en su máxima expresión.