Satisfaction not guaranteed :: dilemmas of progress in modern society /

Our satisfaction should be guaranteed. Modernity's blessings are many and bountiful. Many affluent societies have vanquished the great plagues of earlier generations: in the West, food shortages are nearly eliminated, infant and maternal mortality has fallen dramatically, birth control is both...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stearns, Peter N. (Author)
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: New York : New York University Press, ©2012.
Subjects:
Online Access:DE-862
DE-863
Summary:Our satisfaction should be guaranteed. Modernity's blessings are many and bountiful. Many affluent societies have vanquished the great plagues of earlier generations: in the West, food shortages are nearly eliminated, infant and maternal mortality has fallen dramatically, birth control is both readily available and effective, education levels are higher, and internal violence is significantly reduced. But are we really happy? In Satisfaction Not Guaranteed, Peter N. Stearns examines why the gains of living in modern urban, industrial, affluent societies have not proved more satisfying than they have. If modern life has been filled with measurable progress, abundance, and improvement, why are people not happier or more content with their lot in life? Why do we suffer more than ever from psychological depression, anxiety, and the sense that no one has ever reached a pinnacle of happiness or contentment? And is there a way out? Can we truly be happy in the modern world? -- from dust jacket.
Physical Description:1 online resource (ix, 270 pages)
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780814783634
0814783635
9780814788554
0814788556

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