A Brief History of Happiness

by White, Nicholas P.

• ISBN13: 9781405115209
• ISBN10: 1405115203
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-24
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Nicholas P. White is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
1 Introducing the Concept	1	(5)
2 Conflicts, Perspectives, and the Identification of Happiness	6	(35)
3 Pleasure, Hedonism, and the Measurement of Happiness	41	(34)
4 Happiness as Structure and Harmony	75	(41)
5 Morality, Happiness, and Conflict	116	(26)
6 Happiness, Fact, and Value	142	(20)
7 Doing without the Concept	162	(13)
Glossary and List of Historical Figures	175	(6)
Bibliography	181	(6)
Index	187