The End of History and the Invention of Happiness

Here's something juicy to get your teeth stuck into over the New Year. It's a long essay, which I plan to put in the appendix of my book, that looks at the rise of the politics of wellbeing, and governments' growing confidence that they can stimulate the happiness of their citizens. Then it looks at the role played by ancient Greek philosophy in this new politics of wellbeing. The third part looks at the backlash to the politics of wellbeing, from philosophers (of all people). Finally, the essay asks if governments should teach the Good Life to children in schools, and answers with a qualified yes. It's an expanded version of my essay 'Beyond Liberalism', which some of you might have read earlier in the year. Here's the essay.