Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals

Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals by Tyler Cowen

Wealth and prosperity allows people to live happier, better lives. While some studies have shown a plateauing of "happiness", Cowen argues that this is primarily due to the way that questions are asked. With more happiness, people "level set" to that level. Greater happiness, will raise the level higher. What should we do to maximize happiness and prosperity? Are there fixed rules we can use? Utilitarian views carry it to an extreme of maximizing utility. However, this may end up allocating money from the poor to the wealthy to maximize benefits. More likely, we will give some resources to the poor to help bring them up. We should also focus more on the longer term. There is a tendency to spend more on the old than the young, even though the benefits to the young can accrue over a long term. The book is short and fairly "common sense".