A review by jilianh
The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell

informative reflective medium-paced

2.0

 I really, really wanted to like this book. 

 

I think part of the problem is that in general, I do not like self help books. I thought this one may be different because it is a classic, and it came highly recommended to me. Unfortunately, it was not the exception. It lost my interest part way through and I almost DNF’d it. 

 

I also want to note that I tried very hard to keep in mind the age of this book to read past the racism (savages, chinamen, weird bit about the whites specifically declining), misogyny (the book club, the resentment of women towards those more attractive, the parenting chapter..), and other signs of the times.  There are definitely some points that withstood the test of time, but there were also some that just felt dated or irrelevant. 

 

My biggest gripe with this book was the contradictions or hypocrisy that I felt was littered throughout. The author would make a point, then later on slightly alter the point, and almost say the opposite. This muddied the intentions and made me leave the book wondering- “wait, what exactly does he think we need for happiness?” Obviously there were a few points with clarity, but there were equally as many left hazy by the end, or that just felt fairly common sense generic to me. 

 

The chapter about parenting basically emphasizes how important it is to have kids and pass along your genetics to feel happy and fulfilled (I guess infertility was not a consideration at this time), and how women who now have known work outside the home will essentially resent being a mother and what her kids take away from her… Then later he agrees that women having a role more like fathers who can have a job outside of a homemaker is good? Or the chapter talking about the women’s book club, which happens shortly after a section that rejects caving to societal norms just to fit in. The author basically judges their book taste for not being great works of literature, and says the books they are reading is mediocre and just to fit in. Wouldn’t reading “great works” just to fit in be equally as bad? What if I get genuine enjoyment from books that are merely entertainment? Should I reject them and read traditional literature to appease the author for what he believes will make me happy? 

 

I liked the emphasis on looking outward from self to appreciate the world around us, to balance receiving and giving affection, to not be driven by our desire to fit in/ appear a certain way to others, that creation will lead to more happiness and satisfaction long term than destruction, living a quiet life, and I respect the author’s opinion on his children leading to great happiness for him… The final chapter/conclusion is good, and overall there are certainly a lot of points I see merit in even for the flaws of the book. 

 

However, overall I still don’t feel like I got any great insight that I have not already thought of or talked about myself, I feel there wasn’t really any new takeaways for me.