Etzioni A. Happiness is the Wrong Metric: A Liberal Communitarian Response to Populism

Cham: Springer, 2018. — 304 p. — ISBN10: 331969622X; ISBN13: 978-33196962 — (Library of Public Policy and Public Administration (Book 11))This timely book addresses the conflict between globalism and nationalism. It provides a liberal communitarian response to the rise of populism occurring in many democracies. The book highlights the role of communities next to that of the state and the market. It spells out the policy implications of liberal communitarianism for privacy, freedom of the press, and much else. In a persuasive argument that speaks to politics today from Europe to the United States to Australia, the author offers a compelling vision of hope. Above all, the book offers a framework for dealing with moral challenges people face as they seek happiness but also to live up to their responsibilities to others and the common good. At a time when even our most basic values are up for question in policy debates riddled with populist manipulation, Amitai Etzioni’s bold book creates a new frame which introduces morals and values back into applied policy questions. These questions span the challenges of jobless growth to the unanswered questions posed by the role of artificial intelligence in a wide range of daily life tasks and decisions. While not all readers will agree with the communitarian solutions that he proposes, many will welcome an approach that is, at its core, inclusive and accepting of the increasingly global nature of all societies at the same time. It is a must read for all readers concerned about the future of Western liberal democracy.What Makes a Good LifeHappiness Is the Wrong MetricWithin History
The Rising Disconnect Between Income and Happiness
Maslow and "Higher" Satisfactions
Affirmation Defined
Preferences Socially Made, Can Be Socially Reconstructed
Say It with FiguresBring Back the Moral WrestlerHomo Economicus: Not a Wrestler
Homo Sapiens as Clueless
Be Happy
It Is All in Our Genes
Anthropology Liberates: But Engenders Cultural Relativism
Sociology. Collectivizing the Wrestle
Clinical Psychology: From Freud to Morally Neutral
Social Psychology: Powerful Narratives
In ConclusionHuman NatureCrossing the RubiconFrom Given and Stable to Internally ModifiedMoral DialoguesBaselines
Sociological Dialogue Starters
Megalogues
Distinct Attributes
Dramatization
Closure
Case Study
Community Building and Power Structures
Relativism?Moral Effects of Teaching EconomicsTypical Findings
In ConclusionJob Loss & Right Wing PopulismJob Collapse on the Way to New AthensJob Collapse
Education and Training for the Jobs of the Future
Basic Income and Social Safety Nets
Others
The New Athens
The Sisyphean Nature of Affluence
True Flourishing: A Communitarian, Postmodern Culture
Contributions to Sustainability and Social JusticeNationalist Populism Is Not an EnemyPopulism: Definition and Causes
The Essentiality of Communities
Elements of Liberal Communitarianism
In ConclusionMoral Issues Raised by Individual RightsFree Speech Versus Safe SpaceReflecting a Profound Societal Design
Not Soft Censorship
Ban Hate Speech?
Microaggressions and "Check Your Privilege"The Right to Be ForgottenSecond Chances
A Hedged Right to Be ForgottenBack to the Pillory?Moral TriageOut of the Boats
Exodus for a Chinese Activist
Squandering the Moral VoiceA Global DimensionTalking with the Muslim WorldOne Challenge, Wrapped in a Bigger One
Components of US Normative Strategy
Working with Islam to Address Islam
In ConclusionDefining Down SovereigntySovereignty as a KeystoneThe Case for Decoupled Armed Interventionshe Idealism, Right and Left
Criteria for InterventionsScience and TechnologyIncorporating Ethics into Artificial Intelligence (with Oren Etzioni)Smart Machines, Harm, and Ethical Self-Guidance
"Autonomous Machines," A Highly Misleading Term
The Main Ethical Implementing Factors: Legal and Personal
The Outlier FallacyPros and Cons of Autonomous Weapons Systems (with Oren Etzioni)In Support of AWS
Opposition to AWSRobotic Care of Children, the Elderly, and the Sick (with Oren Etzioni)The Demand for Humanoid Robots
Challenges
Introducing AI Caregivers
Substitute vs Partner?
Goal vs. Comparative Evaluation
Team Work
AI Caregivers Need Supervision: Like Humans