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A Brief History of Happiness

Nicholas P. White (Author)

9781405115209, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 21 December 2005

208 pages
21.7 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.259 kg

"White takes his readers on [a] journey, aiming to reach an appreciation of the nature of happiness. He splendidly suceeds in making the journey as fascinating as it deserves to be. White has produced a unique, thoughtful work that provides a meaningful excursion through our conceptions of happiness. Readers will be left with a gift of greater insight into both the triumphs and limitations of our efforts to understand ourselves." PsycCRITIQUES

"A valuable aid to the flourishing literature on happiness and its history."
Ethics

"Nicholas White offers a brisk, informative, and readable account of various attempts, throughout the Western philosophical tradition, to articulate the meaning of that elusive term 'happiness.'" Review of Metaphysics

In this brief history, philosopher Nicholas White reviews 2,500 years of philosophical thought about happiness.

  • Addresses key questions such as: What is happiness? Should happiness play such a dominant role in our lives? How can we deal with conflicts between the various things that make us happy?
  • Considers the ways in which major thinkers from antiquity to the modern day have treated happiness: from Plato’s notion of the harmony of the soul, through to Nietzsche’s championing of conflict over harmony.
  • Relates questions about happiness to ethics and to practical philosophy.

Preface vii

1 Introducing the Concept 1

2 Conflicts, Perspectives, and the Identification of Happiness 6

3 Pleasure, Hedonism, and the Measurement of Happiness 41

4 Happiness as Structure and Harmony 75

5 Morality, Happiness, and Conflict 116

6 Happiness, Fact, and Value 142

7 Doing without the Concept 162

Glossary and List of Historical Figures 175

Bibliography 181

Index 187

Subject Areas: Philosophy [HP]
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