The Good Life: Ethics and the Pursuit of Happiness

The Dalai Lama once wrote that the object of human existence was to be happy. On the other hand, von Hugel wrote, “Religion has never made me happy; it’s no use shutting your eyes to the fact that the deeper you go, the more alone you will find yourself.” This small masterpiece by the late Fr. Herbert McCabe, OP steers a steady course between these two extremes. We feel instinctively that human beings are designed to enjoy themselves and to be happy and yet we are told that suffering is good for the soul. But in the Catholic tradition the true object of human existence is the vision of God and nothing less than this will ever make us truly happy.

But Fr. McCabe explores much deeper issues. Is Happiness a pleasure or a pain? You hardly know. Certainly it is not a comfort for comfort spells security and happiness can take you out of yourself to a degree where all security is left behind. Behind a feeling of exultation, you can sense the flame of incandescent terror. This short book is entirely original and further enhances McCabe’s posthumous reputation.