The Age of Absurdity cover art

The Age of Absurdity

Why Modern Life Makes It Hard to Be Happy

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Age of Absurdity

By: Michael Foley
Narrated by: John O'Mahony
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.99

Buy Now for $22.99

About this listen

The good news is that the great thinkers from history have proposed the same strategies for happiness and fulfilment. The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of well-being and satisfaction are constantly undermined by modern life.

Michael Foley examines the elusive condition of happiness common to philosophy, spiritual teachings and contemporary psychology, then shows how these are becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world of high expectations. The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth.

In conclusion, rather than denouncing and rejecting the age, Foley presents an entertaining strategy of not just accepting but embracing today's world - finding happiness in its absurdity.

Cover credit: The Caravan Gallery.

©2011 Michael Foley (P)2016 Audible, Ltd Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Happiness
All stars
Most relevant  
I enjoyed this discussion but I was distracted by the sarcasm in the narrator's voice. I do understand that the text is to some degree sarcastic but the voice was irritating. The book covered an interesting range of philosophical references but I found it difficult to find a central argument or theme... apart from the Absurdity itself.

Interesting but hard to glean its main purpose

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Perfect choice of narrator. Makes for an audio book that I can easily recommend over reading the paper version for that alone.

Brilliant narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed Farming for the modern life by the same author .(and would highly recommend that )
However this work is sadly pretentious and obscure but without the fun and spattered with random references to penises and sex acts which seem out of place in the narrative.

odd

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.