CFIC T.O. – Science & Philosophy Book Club – “The Conquest of Happiness” by Bertrand Russell

Come on out and enjoy the atmosphere with your cordial hosts, Christine Gagnon and Vlad Bunea,  two of our CFI Canada members. It takes place at our National Headquarters, 55 Eglinton Ave E., Suite 307, Buzzer Code 49, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Suggested donation is $5. There is also an after-event at a location near the office and everyone is invited.

The goal is to provide a friendly, free-thinking environment in which to discuss books that inspire rewarding conversation on subjects related to science and philosophy.

“There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.”
― Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell. Iconoclast, philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic,  political activist, rationalist.

The Conquest of Happiness is Bertrand Russell’s recipe for good living. First published by Liveright in 1930 – and some reviewers mentioned that the 85-year gap could be a factor for today’s reader – it certainly pre-dates the current obsession with self-help.  Russell attempted to diagnose the myriad causes of unhappiness in modern life and chart a path out of the seemingly inescapable malaise so prevalent even in safe and prosperous Western societies. Eschewing guilt-based morality, Russell laid out a rationalist prescription for living a happy life, including the importance of cultivating interests outside oneself and the dangers of passive pleasure.