Ebook: Philosophy for a Better World

This work proposes a fresh perspective, universal subjectivism, which can be adopted regardless of religious or philosophical orientation and that takes into consideration the universal capacity for suffering and, through raising awareness of how that suffering attaches itself to the ways we live our lives, seeks to diminish its hold and increase happiness. After reading this book, the world won't look the same. Imagine yourself confined to a wheelchair; or living within the severely constricted lifestyle options of a woman in Saudi Arabia; or being a homosexual in a homophobic society; or a coffee farmer in Ethiopia; or a cow on a factory farm; or growing up impoverished in a developing country; or living 500 years from now when future generations may be negatively impacted by what we do today. This compelling thought experiment invites readers to take a moral journey, which in turn leads to an inconvenient evaluation of the way most of us live. The author, a Dutch philosopher, proposes a new perspective, called universal subjectivism, which can be adopted by anyone regardless of religious or philosophical orientation. It takes into consideration the universal capacity for suffering and, through raising awareness, seeks to diminish that suffering and increase happiness. With consistent and crystal clear moral reasoning, the author shows that the world can be organized to ensure more pleasure, beauty, justice, happiness, health, freedom, animal welfare, and sustainability. He emphasizes that today the near-term future is our greatest challenge: our affluent western lifestyle will soon exceed the limits of the Earth's sustainable capacity and must soon change drastically to ward off a worldwide environmental collapse. Knowing this, we should all reevaluate the daily routines we take for granted: taking the car to work, boarding a plane to a business or vacation destination, eating meat, buying strawberries in winter, or using plastic bags in stores. There are ethical and ecological objections to each of these examples. In fact, if we applied a strict ethical analysis to our lifestyle, almost nothing we do would pass muster. Concluding with an eco-humanist manifesto, this offers much food for thought but, more importantly, an urgent and inspiring call to action. -- From back cover.;Introduction to a better world : Less suffering, more happiness ; Re-evaluating every value ; The good society ; Universal subjectivism in a nutshell ; The fortuitousness of existence -- Learning to think philosophically : About philosophy ; Scientific philosophy ; All hands on deck ; How to become a philosopher without reading Kant ; Thinking philosophically is not "anything goes" ; Laws, rules, and traffic regulations ; A new golden rule -- Universal subjectivism as thought experiment : Why act ethically? ; The expanding circle of morality : Suppose you're in a wheelchair; Suppose you're a woman in Saudi Arabia; Suppose you're homosexual; Suppose you're a coffee farmer in Ethiopia; Suppose you're a cow; Suppose you're born in a low-income country; Suppose you're born five hundred years from now; Suppose you're Anne Frank -- The open society : Pluralism ; Education and parenting ; Freedom of expression ; The good life -- Toward a better world : Ecosophy: toward a minimum ecological consensus -- Eco-humanist manifesto : Toward a sustainable future ; To a better world in eleven steps ; Humanism: thinking for yourself, living together ; The moral of the story: less suffering, more happiness ; A gaze into the crystal ball.