★ Published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of sociology giant Zygmunt Bauman!
★ An unpublished masterpiece by Bauman, the greatest intellectual of the 20th century!
★ Highly recommended by sociologist Professor Noh Myung-woo and political philosopher Professor Kim Man-kwon!
★ Received the European Amalfi Prize in 1992, the Adorno Prize in 1998, and the Asturias Prize in 2010

“No matter what you own, you will never be happy.”
Escape from the swamp of dissatisfaction and helplessness created by consumer society.
Bauman's wise solution to cultivate the art of life!

The previously unpublished masterpiece of Zygmunt Bauman, one of the greatest intellectuals of the 20th century and world-renowned for defining post-modern society as "liquid modernity," has been published by 21st Century Books.
In this book, published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth, Bauman sharply criticizes modern consumer society, in which not only material goods but also abstract values ​​such as love, justice, and hope are commodified.
Modern society constantly stimulates individual desires and fosters the illusion that happiness can only be achieved through consumption.
But no matter how much we consume, our desires can never be completely satisfied.
Therefore, consumer society spreads uncertainty, anxiety, and helplessness among us.
Bauman diagnoses that 'liquid modernity' has fundamentally blocked us from reaching true happiness.

So, can we truly find happiness in these times? In his previous works, Bauman primarily focused on analyzing the structures and problems of postmodern society, but in this book, he goes a step further and presents concrete alternatives that lead to happiness.
He says that to move beyond anxiety and reach true happiness and satisfaction, we need to “treat life as a work of art.”
Just as art is created through constant thought and agony, our lives should also be created in the same way.
The original title, 'The Art of Life', has ambiguous meanings of 'the art of living' and 'the art of living'.
Bauman emphasizes that we must preserve the value of life through a perspective that views life as art, and actively interpret and create our own lives.
The attitude of living as an 'artist of life' is the only way for us to achieve true happiness and satisfaction.
It is time for modern people living in an uncertain age to encounter the sharp insights and warm comfort of a century-old intellectual.

From the moment we are born, humans live in a habitat of uncertainty.
Of course, the hope of escaping uncertainty is the driving force behind life.
Even if it is only an implicit assumption, freedom from uncertainty is the most important element that constitutes the composite image of happiness.
So, 'proper, complete, genuine' happiness always seems to be somewhere far ahead.
Like the horizon, which is known to recede every time you try to get closer.
--- From "Preface | What is the Problem?"

The Financial Times is read daily by countless people in high positions of power, as well as countless others who have not yet reached this level but dream of that day.
The newspaper publishes a monthly supplement, a glamorous luxury lifestyle magazine called How to Spend It.
Here, 'it' means money.
More precisely, it refers to the cash left over after investing in all sorts of investments that promise higher returns, paying the housing and living expenses required to live in a mansion with a magnificent garden, the bills for a custom suit, alimony from an ex-partner, and the installment payments for a Bentley sedan.

--- From "Chapter 1 The Tragedy of Happiness - The Face of Happiness Changed by Consumer Society"

The ancient sages had anticipated or anticipated this long before the era of the 'pursuit of universal happiness' even began.
They constantly struggled to understand this seemingly paradoxical fact.
So, happiness hunters tried to avoid the trap set by this paradox or find a way out of it.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, in his “On the Happy Life,” which contains reflections on the “happy life,” pointed out:
--- From "Chapter 1 The Tragedy of Happiness - Modern People's Game of Finding Happiness"

As historical evidence amply demonstrates, forcing freedom rarely leads to freedom itself.
Even if it exists, it is extremely rare.
So what about happiness?
If we force the pursuit of happiness, as is practiced in our fluid modern consumer society, will those who are forced to do so actually become happy? I leave the judgment on this matter to you, the readers.
In fact, it is now time for each of us to put this question into practice and find the answer.
Our life is like a series of experiments.

--- From "Chapter 1 The Tragedy of Happiness - The Consequences of the Forced Pursuit of Happiness"

If you're asking yourself, "Where does aggression come from?", it's probably because you have a strong desire to do something about the problem.
This may be because you think hard about aggression and have a strong desire to stop it or fight against it.
Presumably, you would want to go to places where aggressive impulses or aggressive strategies are rampant and try to neutralize and defeat them.
If, as I guessed, this is your motivation, you must feel uncomfortable in a world steeped in aggression.
Or perhaps they are indignant, thinking that this world is completely unfit for human life, a world that is so wrong.
But at the same time, I believe that we can transform this world into a new world, a world that is more human-friendly, more pleasant, and more peaceful.

--- From "Chapter 2 We, the Artists of Life - A Work of Art Called Life"

As a result, older and newer generations may view each other with a mixture of misunderstanding and concern.
The older generation fears that the newcomers to the world will ruin or destroy what they and their predecessors have cherished and preserved.
The new generation feels a strong urge to fix what the veterans have messed up.
Both sides are dissatisfied with the current situation and blame the other for the unfortunate situation.

--- From "Chapter 2 We, the Artists of Life - The Courage to Think for Ourselves"

Like every other ideology known to the world, this one divides humanity.
But that's not all.
Even those who believe in this ideology are divided, empowering some and disempowering others.

By doing so, it exacerbates the pervasive conflict that characterizes individualized/privatized societies.
It also neutralizes forces that could potentially weaken one's foundation and dampens such energies.
This makes it unlikely that we will be able to preserve an individualized/privatized society and reorganize the ideology itself.
--- From "Chapter 2 We, Artists of Life - The Ideology that Spreads Selfishness"

All we can do is echo the words of Seneca quoted at the beginning of this book:
“To truly know what makes life happy,” we must “feel for the light by feeling with our hands.” And now, 2,000 years later, we can only add:
It doesn't seem like we're much closer to that light than the people of Seneca's time.
We continue to grope and search.
Ultimately, isn't this the 'art of living'?
--- From "Chapter 3: What Life Will You Choose - It's All Up to You"

To recall Kant's diagnosis, happiness is an ideal of imagination, not reason.
Kant also warned that one cannot make straight things from the crooked wood of human beings.
John Stuart Mill seems to combine these two wisdoms and warn:
The moment you question whether you are happy, your happiness stops… … .
Perhaps the ancients also doubted this, but they followed the principle of never giving up hope as long as they lived: dum spiro, spero.
He argued that if you don't work hard, life won't give you anything worth living.
Even 2000 years later, this claim still seems relevant.

--- From "How Should We Live Now?"