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Toward the Good Life in a Good Society

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Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 42))

Abstract

The Good Society. The good life flourishes in the good society, with appropriate social structure, social psychology, values, and culture patterns. Finding the good society will yield keys to the good life.

A general definition of civilization:

A civilized society is exhibiting the

five qualities of Truth, Beauty,

Adventure, Art, Peace.

–Alfred North Whitehead, Adventures in Ideas, Chap. 19

One should get rid of a selfish mind and replace it with a mind that is earnest to help others. An act to make another happy inspires the other to make still another happy, and so happiness is born from such an act.

–Purification of the Mind, Chapter 1, The Way of Purification, in The Teaching of Buddha (1996)

A good society is a means to a good life for those who compose it; not something having a kind of excellence on its own account.

–Bertrand Russell, Authority and the Individual.

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References

  • Gomes, P. J. (2002). The Good Life, San Francisco: Harper San Francisco.

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  • Berman, Y., & Philips, D. (2000). Indicators of social quality and social exclusion at national and community level. Social Indicators Research 50, 329–350.

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  • Fuhrman, J. (2003). Eat to live. Boston, London: Little, Brown and Co.

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  • Glatzer, W. (2001). German sociologists are looking for the ‘good society’. Social Indicators Research, 55, 35–359.

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Correspondence to Abbott L. Ferriss .

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© 2010 Springer Netherlands

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Ferriss, A.L. (2010). Toward the Good Life in a Good Society. In: Approaches to Improving the Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 42. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9148-2_11

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