3. Life satisfaction
Daniel M. Haybron
in Happiness: A Very Short Introduction
Can we use life satisfaction as a measure of happiness? ‘Life satisfaction’ looks at the idea that we measure our own happiness levels using subjective standards. This view has appeal as it ...
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Curtain raiser
Matthew Bevis
in Comedy: A Very Short Introduction
What does comedy mean? In Plato's Philebus, Socrates speaks of comedy ‘not only on the stage, but on the greater stage of human life; and so in endless other cases’. This isn't very helpful ...
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8. Humanist ceremonies
Stephen Law
in Humanism: A Very Short Introduction
Humanists like to have ceremonies as much as religious people. Ceremonies do not have to be religious or supernatural. People who engage in ritualistic activity need not assume that such ...
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7. The meaning of life
Stephen Law
in Humanism: A Very Short Introduction
Can we question the meaning of life without believing in God? ‘The meaning of life’ questions what a ‘meaningful life’ can be. It is difficult to provide a complete philosophical ...
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Home: A Very Short Introduction
Michael Allen Fox
Thoughts and feelings about home traditionally provided people of all cultures with a firm sense of where they belonged, and why. But the world is rapidly changing: populations are ...
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1. The many faces of home
Michael Allen Fox
in Home: A Very Short Introduction
Homes are central to human life, but defining what home is can be problematic. Home is a fundamental and universal concept, yet it has multiple associated and layered meanings for different ...
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8. Transcendental philosophy
Roger Scruton
in Kant: A Very Short Introduction
Kant's immediate successors regarded Kant as having changed the course of philosophy. However, even during his lifetime, the intellectual world was torn by controversy over the meaning of ...
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9. Endangered languages
John C. Maher
in Multilingualism: A Very Short Introduction
By the end of the 21st century, half the languages spoken in the world today may have disappeared. Fewer than 10,000 people speak 52 per cent of languages. Many language communities have ...
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1. Life and character
A. C. Grayling
in Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction
Ludwig Wittgenstein was a philosopher but he is famous beyond the boundaries of philosophy. Like philosophy itself, he could be difficult and profound. Many contemporary philosophers think ...
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3. Do you know what I mean?
Michael Beaney
in Analytic Philosophy: A Very Short introduction
From the very origins of philosophy, philosophers have been especially conscious of the inadequacies and limitations of language. But they have disagreed on whether this reflects a ...
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Sociolinguistics: A Very Short Introduction
John Edwards
Sociolinguistics: A Very Short Introduction deals with the social life of language: language in its sociocultural context. It draws from sociolinguistics, the sociology of ...
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1. Coming to terms
John Edwards
in Sociolinguistics: A Very Short Introduction
The acquisition of language cannot be accounted for solely on the basis of postnatal experience — human beings must be genetically prepared or “pre-wired” to learn language. ‘Coming to ...
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4. Plotting mischief
Matthew Bevis
in Comedy: A Very Short Introduction
Good comedy has a knack of good timing and storytelling. It is the art of surprise, but established routine is what makes surprise possible. Jokes work because we expect the result, and our ...
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4. Measuring happiness
Daniel M. Haybron
in Happiness: A Very Short Introduction
Can happiness be measured or is it too elusive and complex to measure? ‘Measuring happiness’ looks at the issues associated with trying to measure happiness. Measures of happiness can be ...
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8. A good life
Daniel M. Haybron
in Happiness: A Very Short Introduction
What do we mean by a good life? A good life must come to an end. ‘A good life’ looks at what could be said to constitute such a life. There are two fundamental parts: whether your life is ...
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Happiness: A Very Short Introduction
Daniel M. Haybron
Happiness: A Very Short Introduction considers the true nature of happiness and the current thinking on the subject, from psychology to philosophy. What is happiness? Is it ...
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6. Taste and order
Roger Scruton
in Beauty: A Very Short Introduction
In a democratic culture, it may seem presumptuous to claim to have better taste than someone else. According to ‘Taste and order’, taste is intimately bound up with our personal life and ...
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Humanism: A Very Short Introduction
Stephen Law
Humanism: A Very Short Introduction explores how humanism uses science and reason to make sense of the world, looking at how it encourages individual moral responsibility and ...
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Multilingualism: A Very Short Introduction
John C. Maher
Multilingualism—language diversity in society—is a perfect expression of human plurality. About 6,500–7,000 languages are spoken, written, and signed, throughout the linguistic landscape of ...
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7. Conclusion
Patrick Gardiner
in Kierkegaard: A Very Short Introduction
Kierkegaard's thought offered challenge to various intellectual tendencies of his age, especially those that aimed to reduce the doctrinal aspects of Christianity to terms that made it ...
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