Cost of Comfort, American Philosophy

Why do we feel empty when our lives seem so full? A philosopher’s “clear, engaging reflection” on the psychic risks of today’s world (John T. Lysaker, author of After Emerson).

While comfort has not always reached everyone evenly, most of us who live in the United States today reap the benefits of modern life. We live longer, we eat better food, we have access to good medical care, and we can stay in touch with loved ones who are far away. Yet, as philosopher John Lachs observes, these comfortable lives come at a cost: our increasing unhappiness. Irresponsible behavior, including by those in positions of power in governments and corporations, only increases and multiplies feelings of bitterness and disaffection.

In this book, Lachs argues that this dizzyingly complex world often inspires isolation, and that deeper engagement with it is required in order to dispel our growing psychic distance. Lachs advocates for mediation and champions education, advertising, openness, and transparency to help individuals understand the roles they play in society and to nullify claims to blamelessness. Lachs suggests new rules for responsibility and argues that examining and understanding the consequences of one’s actions is imperative to overcoming the ills and problems of the modern world—and to find the fulfillment we seek.

“A very clear, engaging reflection on a genuine contemporary issue: deep feelings of disengagement and bewilderment about how to live responsibly in an almost overwhelmingly complex world.” —John T. Lysaker, author of After Emerson