"Cultural historian Ehrenreich explores a human impulse that has been so effectively suppressed that we lack even a term for it: the desire for collective joy, historically expressed in ecstatic revels of feasting, costuming, and dancing. She uncovers the origins of communal celebration in human biology and culture. Although 16th-century Europeans viewed mass festivities as foreign and "savage," Ehrenreich shows that they were indigenous to the West,...

Examines the nature of happiness, discussing how it has been treated in philosophy and religion and by the modern disciplines of psychology, economics, and neuroscience, and considers the place of indivdual happiness within the context of modern life.

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. While in prison awaiting a brutal execution, Boethius produced arguably the most famous work of early medieval philosophy and literature, the celebrated Consolation of Philosophy. In alternating sections of prose and poetry, Boethius describes the circumstances of his rapid fall from the upper echelons of society and power. In a conversation with lady Philosophy,...

It is a dark and snowy night when the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back to the Revolutionary War. General George Washington is about to lead his army in a sneak attack against their enemy.

"The Declaration of Independence identified "the pursuit of happiness" as one of our unalienable rights, along with life and liberty. Jeffrey Rosen, the president of the National Constitution Center, profiles six of the most influential founders--Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton--to show what pursuing happiness meant in their lives. By reading the classical Greek and Roman moral...

"We're all searching for answers to the biggest questions: How can we be good? Find calm? Properly grieve? Beat FOMO? Work out what truly matters? Well, the good news is that the wisest minds in history asked the exact same questions, and they found answers. The ancient philosophy of Stoicism shows us that we are already in possession of the very tools we need to excavate this much-needed wisdom for ourselves. So into the past we go with Brigid Delaney,...

Do you give to charity? Do you give enough? Those two questions defined Alexandre Mars's journey from venture capitalist to activist. In 2013, Mars began a worldwide journey to learn from people on the ground. He saw a world that was already changing. Fueled by a passion for social change, young people everywhere donated their time and money, but it wasn't enough. There was a barrier to giving. People didn't know what nonprofits were trustworthy and...

"What do women want? It's a time-old question, but if you head out into America and talk to women one-on-one, as Jill Filipovic has done, you discover that what they want is happiness. Despite what recent books, articles, or TV shows would have you believe, real women are less concerned about "having it all," "leaning in," or "settling for 'Mr. Good Enough.'" Unsurprisingly, the way to achieve happiness is as varied as the realities they face. In...