Lecture in English - Entrance Free
Sociologist Ruut Veenhoven is nationally known in the Netherlands as ‘the happiness-professor’. One of his specialities is the international comparison of happiness. He found wide differences in happiness across nations and a rising trend over time. His data suport the theory that modern society fits human nature fairly well. But what is happiness to the sociologist? And is it really possible to measure and compare the national level of happiness in, for example, Iceland and South Africa? If so, what about the political consequences? Should we aim at greater happiness for a greater number?
Prof. Dr. Ruut Veenhoven
Professor of ‘Social Conditions for Human Happiness'
Erasmus University Rotterdam