The Secret Of Happiness: Three thousand years of searching for the good life

by RichardSchoch (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $4.68

  Today, influenced by books on the science of happiness and quick self-help cures, we have settled for a much weaker version of happiness than previous cultures: just enjoyment of pleasure and avoidance of pain. It is only through rediscovering previous religions and philosophies - through the individuals who put forward the ideas - that we can learn how to be genuinely happy again. With wit and warmth, Richard Schoch explores these ideas - from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius to Buddha's Four Noble Truths - and travels through cultures and centuries to provide enduring wisdom for modern living.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2006

  $3.15

  A stylish, witty book about happiness that explains with authority what happiness actually is and why understanding its history can help us to live happier lives. What connects a Greek philosopher with a cult following of prostitutes, a Roman civil servant who was unjustly executed, and a Persian scholar who traded books for mystic ecstasy? This trio - Epicurus (341-271 BC), Boethius (c. 480-524 AD) and Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (1058-1111) - allowed their reflections about happiness to give meaning to their lives, and through such individuals and their ideas we can reclaim the lost art of happiness. Today, influenced by books on the new science of happiness and quick self-help panaceas, we have settled for a much weaker version of happiness than previous cultures: just enjoyment of pleasure and avoidance of pain and suffering. It is only through rediscovering the traditions that began in the West with the philosophers of Athens and in the East with anonymous Hindu sages that we can learn how to be genuinely happy again. During the journey through ideas philosophical and religious, from around the world and across thousands of years, Professor Schoch answers questions that are fundamental to our wellbeing but are rarely asked. What does it feel like to be happy, and can you be happy if others are unhappy? Is happiness an emotion, or an attitude? How much effort do you have to make to be happy, and do you have a right to be happy? The good life is easier to grasp when you know the answers.