Thinking Allowed

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Thinking Allowed: Hope and the 'good enough' life

Hope and the 'good enough' life

BBC Radio 4 - Thinking Allowed, Hope and the 'good enough' life

Hope and the 'good enough' life.  Laurie Taylor asks if hope is the secret of well being & considers whether a small Irish town provides a glimpse of a better way of living.

Laurie Taylor talks to Daniel Miller, Professor of Anthropology at University College London,  about his highly original exploration of what life could and should be. It juxtaposes a philosophical enquiry into the nature of the good life with an in-depth study of people living in a small Irish town. Just how much can we learn from a respectful acknowledgment of what far from extraordinary people have achieved? By creating community, they’ve provided the foundation for a fulfilling life, one that is ‘good enough’. 

Also, Carol Graham, Senior Fellow in the  Economic Studies Program at The Brookings Institution, argues for the importance of hope - a concept little studied in economics. She argues that individual unhappiness and public policy problems can’t be solved without the belief that we can make things better. 

Producer: Jayne Egerton

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Hope and the 'good enough' life

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