TL;DRAbstract
It seems right to say that people get most of their happiness from personal relations, the development of individual talents, and congenial work. What, then, is the contribution of community to happiness? Sociologists have identified periods in Western history characterized by what seems to be alienation and fear that the culture is falling apart. Such periods sometimes follow eras of rugged individualism. In one period, people are eager to escape the bonds of community; in the next, they may fear its loss and try to recapture it. In both, community may affect happiness in ways of which we are barely conscious. Similarly, life in a liberal democracy may support the pursuit of happiness indirectly. However, some people derive happiness directly from community work and participation in democratic organizations.
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It seems right to say that people get most of their happiness from personal relations, the development of individual talents, and congenial work. What, then, is the contribution of community to happiness? Sociologists have identified periods in Western history characterized by what seems to be alienation and fear that the culture is falling apart. Such periods sometimes follow eras of rugged individualism. In one period, people are eager to escape the bonds of community; in the next, they may fear its loss and try to recapture it. In both, community may affect happiness in ways of which we are barely conscious. Similarly, life in a liberal democracy may support the pursuit of happiness indirectly. However, some people derive happiness directly from community work and participation in democratic organizations.
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