Comprehensive
Against the current tendency to strive to increase one's happiness, Verhoef advocates relating happiness, unhappiness and chance. In doing so, according to Verhoef, "A clear and comprehensive philosophical understanding of happiness is vital in relation to the various academic fields, schools of thought, trends and disciplines on happiness."
To this end, Verhoef turned to the work of French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005). He analyzed two essays on happiness Le Bonheur Hors Lieu (Happiness is Beyond Borders) and L'optatif du bonheur (The Optative Mood of Happiness).
Unique concept of happiness
Verhoef: "Ricoeur's dialectical thinking understands happiness as something, which we must strive for and at the same time as something we simply receive without any effort, only by chance. His holistic and integrated understanding of happiness contrasts sharply with the simplified conception of it in contemporary culture. A unique concept that can help us face the problems of the dominant conceptions of happiness as advocated by capitalism, consumerism, social media, technology, happiness science and religion."