Frailty, Suffering, and Vice

de Blaine J. Fowers, Frank C. Richardson, Brent D. Slife

Positive psychology studies the strengths that enable individuals to thrive. It is founded on the belief that we want to cultivate our best virtues and traits, and enhance our lives by embracing our best selves. But we are imperfect creatures. How do we realize our best selves and flourish in the face of our frailty, suffering, and vice? This volume addresses the human condition in its entirety and discusses the pathways to flourishing in light of the everyday limitations that we all must face. Fowers, Richardson, and Slife discuss what they call the "breathless optimism" of positive psychology and explain how human dependency, limits, and suffering are not just negatives to be overcome. Rather they are part of our journey toward development and thriving. Farilty, Suffering, and Vice: Flourishing in the Face of Human Limitations is a vital corrective for the conceptual and practical limitations of contemporary scholarship, reminding us all that understanding our limitations is essential to living the best kind of life. -- from back cover.