Excerpt
Excerpt
Happiness and social institutions. Amartya Sen, 2016, Book Chapter, "Dante lamented in The Divine Comedy, ‘Born to ascend on the wings, / Why do we fall at such a little wind?’1 Why indeed? The contrast between the great things human beings can achieve and how limited the lives most men and women end up having is truly remarkable. Dante’s question, from the early fourteenth century, remains very much alive even today. The potentialities of human beings to lead a good life, to be contented and happy, to be free to choose the kind of life they want to have far exceed what typically we, in fact, manage to do." Link