The Conquest of Happiness (Routledge Classics) 1st Edition by Bertrand Russell | (EPUB) Free Download

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The Conquest of Happiness is Bertrand Russell‘s recipe for good living. First published in 1930, it pre-dates the current obsession with self-help by decades. Leading the reader step by step through the causes of unhappiness and the personal choices, compromises and sacrifices that (may) lead to the final, affirmative conclusion ofThe Happy Man

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐If you’re serious, this is a good read…very appropriate for today’s social outlook

⭐Although I can’t agree on everything in this book it definitely contains a lot of wisdom and is worth a read.

⭐A great Philosopher wrote a great book about happiness as more of a choice than anything else. Russell did not buy into the theories of depression. One way of looking at the book is the idea of reducing your needs in this world. Simplifying your life is a theory that Russell would agree with. To him happiness is a moral imperative of society & the individual. I would not agree with the man’s political views. I am no Socialist. But I do agree with his social views on life & the attitude that one needs in this world. Another way of looking at the book is through the “lens” of the power of positive thinking. I never read Norman V. Peale, but Russell has similar views on many things. It’s a must read for those who are unhappy & possibly unfulfilled in this world. I consider myself happy but still found the book highly interesting. I actually found out about the book by watching a Philosophy student talk about Philosophy theories & Philosophers on I think You Tube. The only Philosopher I have read a lot about was Aristotle, & I read a lot of his books/theories. It says a lot about a book, when people are still reading it 90 years after it was published.

⭐Good book and well worth reading, but there is little here that a reasonably intelligent man or woman who has lived several decades, or more, hasn’t already figured out. Russell recommends a connection with the natural world and a pursuit of interests outside of one’s self as the way to succeed in the “conquest”.Actually, at one point he also mentions that introspection was an important element for success in his personal journey as well; which kind of contradicts looking outside yourself for happiness. What could be more self-involved than introspection?Overall, there is nothing wrong with his reasoning and in fact, it is sound. However, most of us have figured this formula out long ago. It is only our choices, and the overly busy schedules which we inexplicably cling to, that preclude us from applying it and achieving consistent happiness.

⭐Clearly distilled ideas on living.

⭐It is an interesting book, but I found myself having to make myself focus at points because it was tedious. It reads more like a book you would be assigned in college.

⭐scientist/philosopher. That being said, Russell’s contribution is coherent and his writing very sharp; there is no fluff or tint of superstition. In this short text Russell tries to come to terms with what is happiness, and unhappiness. By understanding and identifying the roots of unhappiness the author postulates what we can do to limit them and therefore bring about objective happiness. And yes, he speaks about what objective happiness may be. There are many chapters dedicated to reasons why one may be unhappy, for example envy, the sense of sin, persecution mania and the fear of public opinion to name a few. His many convictions are very fascinating and I found the text as inspiring as it was interesting. I’ve often listened to inspirational speakers on Youtube and such, and many of the messages are very familiar and often completely mirror each other, in essence. But how breathtakingly reinforcing it is to also be able to read it and glean from the poetic prose of Bertrand Russell. I will end this review with a quote from the text: “A too powerful ego is a prison from which a man must escape if he is to enjoy the world to the full. A capacity for genuine affection is one of the marks of the man who has escaped from this prison of self.”

⭐Bertrand Russel’s concise, easy-to-follow, but humbly profound writing is displayed beautifully in this simple book. He claims in the beginning that he is not attempting to put forth a rigorous, end-all-be-all philosophical examination of happiness, rather he sets out merely to share his unique and insightful impressions based on his own personal experiences and penetrating observations throughout his long and vigilant life.The book is divided into two straightforward sections: “Causes of Unhappines” and “Causes of Happiness”. Each section has several chapters devoted to different sources of either unhappiness or it’s opposite. The wonderful thing about this organizational structure is that the depressed nihilist can easily flip to the chapter titled “Byronic Unhappiness” for a quick cure based on Russel’s quintessential reasoning and logic. The exhausted workaholic can turn to Chapter 3, “Competition”, for a sobering reminder that “…success can only be one ingredient in happiness, and is too dearly purchased if all the other ingredients have been sacrificed to obtain it.” And even the most self-assured and stable reader is likely to find a diagnostic that rings true for them within the books pages.Overall, the prudent yet illuminating content of this uncomplicated book makes it a magnificent introduction to Russell’s work, and indeed all of philosophy for that matter.

⭐The Conquest of Happiness is, of course, another Lord Russell classic. However, the edition that you perhaps see above (Amazon blends reviews of different editions), specifically the one which features these statements on the cover: “TIMELESS Concepts for TODAY” and “Media-Eight Self Help Classics”, whose publisher (scroll down) is listed as Media Eight International, this edition is most likely not the edition you want. This is a sort of guide to Russell’s original book, with a commentary on the elements, distilling what they think necessary for the ultimate self-help work out, not for a jaunt through the philosophical woods. Not a word of this book is from Bertrand Russell.The edition you really want, and no other, is the Routledge Classics edition:

⭐The Conquest of Happiness (Routledge Classics)

⭐Disregard any other edition you find, it is most likely not the edition you’re looking for! (I found out the hard way…via a refund process)M.J.P.

⭐Written in 1930, nearly ninety years ago, this book remains as important and relevant as ever.We have more than we need, most of us, we have shelter, food, and many of us have families, hobbies, relative wealth and ease – so why would so few of us in the world say we are truly happy?Russell was born to an aristocratic family and became an Earl on the death of his older brother in 1931, but he was no conformist – his views on religion and relationships were unorthodox, and he was married four times, at one point having an affair with his children’s nanny, who he subsequently married. He was also a historian, mathematician, writer, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate.It is clear from examples we can all supply that wealth does not equate to happiness, and Russell provides his view on how to achieve a happy life, in a style that is entirely accessible and often dryly humorous. This is not some dry tome but full of what Russell himself describes as “zest,” an ongoing interest in, and attachment to life, the natural world, people you find “congenial,” with luck your work, and something in life that you regard as absorbing. Above all, a close relationship, ideally a physical one. And an avoidance of envy and worry combined with a realistic view of our own unimportance – but how?I found a YouTube clip of an interview with Russell aged eighty, and his flame was still strongly burning.Some of the references are dated, naturally – not many of us still have maidservants – but the principles remain the same, and I imagine no reason why they will not always.

⭐one quote: “Once in a way a car-load of coloured people will show genuine enjoyment, but will cause indignation by erratic behaviour, and ultimately get into the hands of the police owing to an accident: enjoyment in holiday time is illegal.” —- What?There are some nuggets of interest, but there are better books out there.

⭐The book I received was not Bertrand Russell’s Conquest of Happiness, but a modern commentary on it, which refers to it, but contains none of the original’s text. The “read inside this book” link on the site is completely misleading. I was disappointed and felt I had been tricked into buying something I didn’t want. I am returning the book and requesting a refund.

⭐I don’t think there is enough space to review the book in itself, which I have read in Italian at least 5 times, now I wanted to read it in the mother tongue of the author and appreciate the nuances of the language. The book seems to be fine right size and quick delivery.

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