The Secrets of Happiness: Three Thousand Years of Searching for the Good Life

· Simon and Schuster
3.5
2 reviews
Ebook
256
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

Unhappy is the story of happiness. More than two thousand years ago, when the ancient Greeks first pondered what constitutes "the good life," happiness was considered a civic virtue that demanded a lifetime's cultivation. Not just mere enjoyment of pleasure and mere avoidance of suffering, true happiness was an achievement, not a birthright. Now, in an age of instant gratification and infinite distraction, history professor Richard Schoch takes a refreshingly contemplative look at a question that's as vital today as ever: What does it mean to be happy? Schoch consults some of history's greatest thinkers -- from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas to Buddha -- in his quest to understand happiness in all its hard-won forms. Packed with three thousand years' worth of insights, many long forgotten, The Secrets of Happiness is a breath of ancient wisdom for anyone who yearns for the good life.

Ratings and reviews

3.5
2 reviews

About the author

Richard Schoch is professor of drama at Queen’s University Belfast. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University and received his PhD from Stanford University. He has received fellowships from the Whiting Foundation, The Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Stanford Humanities Center. Before launching his academic career, Schoch directed plays in New York City and worked for the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.