Purchase
A history -- chronicling 2,000 years of evolution of thought
Atlantic Monthly Press
January 2006
560 pages
ISBN: 0871138867
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction | Historical
Darrin M. McMahon's sweeping new book, chronicling the evolution of happiness over two thousand years of Western culture and thought, argues that our modern belief in happiness Γ―ΒΏΒ½ that happiness is a natural right Γ―ΒΏΒ½ is a relatively recent development. It is a product of a dramatic revolution in human expectations carried out since the eighteenth century. Central to the development of Christianity, ideas of happiness assumed their modern form during the Enlightenment, when men and women were first introduced to the novel prospect that they could Γ―ΒΏΒ½ in fact should Γ―ΒΏΒ½ be happy in this life as opposed to the hereafter. Ultimately, the Enlightenment's recognition of happiness as a motivating ideal led to its consecration in the Declaration of Independence and France's Declaration of the Rights of Man. McMahon follows this great pursuit through to the present day, showing how our modern search for happiness continues to generate new forms of pleasure, but also, paradoxically, new forms of pain. In the tradition of works by Peter Gay and Simon Schama, Happiness draws on numerous sources, including art and architecture, poetry and scripture, music and theology, literature and myth to offer a sweeping intellectual history of man's most elusive yet coveted goal.
 Media BuzzDiane Rehm Show - NPR - December 25, 2006
CBS Sunday Morning - July 2, 2006
Diane Rehm Show - NPR - January 25, 2006
| 
© 2003-2026