tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post7392345581103747322..comments2024-03-21T12:52:08.166+11:00Comments on Freedom and Flourishing: What is the 'World Happiness Report'?Winton Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post-40537171539452021762012-04-30T08:01:32.006+10:002012-04-30T08:01:32.006+10:00Hmm, the opium of the people?
I have also seen i...Hmm, the opium of the people? <br /><br />I have also seen it argued that the orthodox Christian church tends to be anti-progress because it din't have a reformation.<br /><br />Buddhism promotes equanimity. But I think we should count it as progress if people had a bit more of that - on the roads particularly!Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post-7168265242521136532012-04-30T06:50:36.303+10:002012-04-30T06:50:36.303+10:00You captured my point very will in your postscript...You captured my point very will in your postscript, Winton. There is also an interesting parallel with discussion about the role of relogion in history. One school argues that relgion impeded progress because it made people more content with their lot.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post-58554863744990008952012-04-29T08:02:17.931+10:002012-04-29T08:02:17.931+10:00Good point. That is the basis of the concern that ...Good point. That is the basis of the concern that some people have with GDP measurement. There was good reason for that concern when economic planning was popular. If I remember correctly that was why the Menzies Government had a somewhat negative response to the Vernon report and why Treasury subsequently produced a white paper pointing out the limitations of national income measurement.<br /><br />The potential for policies to focus excessively on contentment makes it even more important in my view to have an array of measures of different aspects of well-being.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post-36472692493410484712012-04-29T06:25:44.798+10:002012-04-29T06:25:44.798+10:00The problem to my mind is that when you measure so...The problem to my mind is that when you measure something, there is a great temptation to focus on improving "performance" as measured. NAPLAN tests are an example. The statistic becomes the driver. <br /><br />This is not an argument against measurement as such, but the way measurement is misused.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post-68808960436054956192012-04-28T14:00:02.879+10:002012-04-28T14:00:02.879+10:00I am tempted to agree, Jim. I think the tone of th...I am tempted to agree, Jim. I think the tone of the introduction is certainly excessively paternalistic.<br /><br />The paradox is that happiness measurement seems to me to be generally benign. If the aim of the report is to sell happiness measurement, I can't understand why the authors would use such unattractive packaging.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1089082204850170942.post-40263743292474803612012-04-28T07:52:26.378+10:002012-04-28T07:52:26.378+10:00Interesting post, Winton. It's all a liitle Or...Interesting post, Winton. It's all a liitle Orwellian.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.com