Abstract

FIERRO, Alfredo. Knowledge against unhappiness: For an epicurean psychology. Escritos de Psicología [online]. 2008, vol.2, n.1, pp.07-23. ISSN 1989-3809.

Does knowledge contribute to happiness? And is science, especially Psychology, able to contribute to it? This is the issue tackled by the present review. It begins by comments on the current proliferation of self-help books in order to get a happy life. Then, some notes are presented on the philosophical tradition on good life by Greek and the Enlightment thinkers. Nowadays, however, this tradition is represented by a high criticism of philosophy in front of self-help and well-being literature. Turning now to the research in science, in the Psychology, researchers have been able to establish some of the conditions of well-being or happiness: some of them are objective; others, such as personality traits, are subjective. Thus, the question is: Psychology, as a science, could remain "value- free", in its research and in the use of the knowledge that it provides? The final assumption and the challenge is the defence of a Psychology, which proceeds in favour of happiness, well-being, and pleasure. The tasks and traits of such a science are briefly designed.

Keywords : Happiness; well-being; pleasure; self-help; optimism.

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