Carl Cederström Books
Carl Cederström is a Swedish scholar and writer, known for his work on the intersections of philosophy, work, and culture. He is an associate professor at Stockholm University and has co-authored several books on contemporary capitalism and the ethics of work.
Known for: The Happiness Fantasy, The Wellness Syndrome
Books by Carl Cederström
The Happiness Fantasy
The book explores how the modern pursuit of happiness has been shaped by neoliberal ideology, tracing how the concept of happiness evolved from a collective ideal into an individualistic and market-dr...
The Wellness Syndrome
In this provocative work, Carl Cederström and André Spicer explore how the modern obsession with wellness has evolved into a moral imperative. They argue that the pursuit of health and happiness has b...
Key Insights from Carl Cederström
Historical background
To understand how neoliberalism colonized our imagination of happiness, we must begin with an earlier time when happiness meant something collective and publicly grounded. In Enlightenment thought—from thinkers like Bentham to Rousseau—happiness was bound up with reason, virtue, and humanity’s capac...
From The Happiness Fantasy
The neoliberal turn
With the neoliberal turn of the late twentieth century came a powerful redefinition of happiness. Markets, once external to the personal domain, began shaping every aspect of social life. The promise of freedom was reinterpreted as the freedom to choose oneself. The collective ideals of the previous...
From The Happiness Fantasy
Historical Context
The wellness syndrome did not arise overnight. Its roots stretch deep into the historical transformations of Western societies over the last century. Long ago, wellness meant mere physical health—a balanced life, a healthy body. It was about survival and functional strength. But in post-industrial s...
From The Wellness Syndrome
The Moralization of Health
Health today has become a moral category. It is no longer just about medical fitness—it is about virtue. The healthy individual is seen as good, disciplined, responsible, while the unhealthy one is framed as careless or lazy. This moralization creates an invisible hierarchy of worth in society. In ...
From The Wellness Syndrome
About Carl Cederström
Carl Cederström is a Swedish scholar and writer, known for his work on the intersections of philosophy, work, and culture. He is an associate professor at Stockholm University and has co-authored several books on contemporary capitalism and the ethics of work.
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Carl Cederström is a Swedish scholar and writer, known for his work on the intersections of philosophy, work, and culture. He is an associate professor at Stockholm University and has co-authored several books on contemporary capitalism and the ethics of work.
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