ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 of Civilization and its discontents is Freud at his most optimistic and encouraging; even if his opening argument sounds rather tragic. Freud does not mince words, “Life,” he argues, “is too hard for us; it brings us too many pains, disappointments and impossible tasks.” In fact, given such a challenge, one is inclined to say that the idea that humans should or can be happy is not part creation’s design or plan (1930/2010, p. 41). But, fortunate for us, that is not, for Freud, where the story ends. For him, the beauty and strength of the human project is that, despite the brutality of life, part of the psychological core of our species-being, as humans, is to nonetheless try—again and again—to be happy. And it is this “seeking,” this “striving for happiness,” even if in vain, that forms the core of our life instinct; our driving existential force. The question, however, for us is: what role (both good and bad) does the pursuit of happiness play in global society, and to what extent is it possible for all 7.5 billion of us?
