My name is Alexandre Billon . I am an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Lille III . My research specialty is philosophical psychopathology, that is, the use of psychopathology to solve perennial philosophical riddles . In a paper recently published in the Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, I argue that in order to be happier, people with desires like us must behave irrationally. This might seem plainly paradoxical: being happier is, other things being equal, being better off. Behaving irrationally is not doing what is best for me. How can I be made better off by not doing what is better for me? Before debunking this paradox let me briefly present my argument. Many philosophers, thinkers and even religions have claimed that unfulfilled desires diminish our level of happiness. This, I believe is not quite right. There are two kinds of interesting counterexamples.
A blog at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and mental health