“Happiness is a real, objective phenomenon, scientifically verifiable. That means people and whole societies can now be measured over time and compared accurately with one another. Causes and cures for unhappiness can be quantified.”
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It is now possible to quantify people's levels of happiness pretty accurately by asking them, by observation, and by measuring electrical activity in the brain, in degrees from terrible pain to sublime joy.
Is anyone serious about the politics of happiness? David Cameron dipped a toe in the water, using the word lightly, but denying the hard policies it implies. Labour shies away from it, but should take up the challenge.
How do you make any sense of history, art or literature without knowing the stories and iconography of your own culture and all the world's main religions?
People want the right to die at a time of their own choosing. Too many families have watched helplessly as a relative dies slowly, longing for death.