The politics of wellbeing as well as the new science of happiness have shot up the agenda since Martin Seligman coined the phrase “positive psychology”. After all, who does not want to live the good life? So ten years on, why's it that much of this otherwise welcome debate sounds like as much apple-pie – “work less”, “earn enough”, “keep fit”, “find meaning”, “enjoy freedoms”? The reason is not, ultimately, cynicism. Rather, it's because of the fact that a central, tricky question is being glossed over: just what's wellbeing? Mark Vernon argues that positive psychology has overlooked as well as sidelined the ancient wisdom on wellbeing, notably from the Greek philosophers. Now is the time to pay it proper attention Vernon shows, surprisingly, that wellbeing isn't found in a focus on pleasure, or even the pursuit of happiness itself. Rather, it's a question of meaning as well as responding to the great challenge of our day: the search for transcendence. For at root, the life that's going well cultivates a way of life based upon love: it's that which draws you out of yourself – in friends, hopes as well as ultimately the contemplation of mystery – as well as orientates a life towards that which is good
