Darrin M. McMahon’s sweeping new book, chronicling the evolution of happiness over two thousand years of Western culture and thought, argues that our modern belief in happiness — that happiness is a natural right — is a relatively recent development. It is a product of a dramatic revolution in human expectations carried out since the eighteenth century. Central to the development of Christianity, ideas of happiness assumed their modern form during the Enlightenment, when men and women were first introduced to the novel prospect that they could — in fact should — be happy in this life as opposed to the hereafter. Ultimately, the Enlightenment’s recognition of happiness as a motivating ideal led to its consecration in the Declaration of Independence and France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man. McMahon follows this great pursuit through to the present day, showing how our modern search for happiness continues to generate new forms of pleasure, but also, paradoxically, new forms of pain. In the tradition of works by Peter Gay and Simon Schama, Happiness draws on numerous sources, including art and architecture, poetry and scripture, music and theology, literature and myth to offer a sweeping intellectual history of man’s most elusive yet coveted goal.
Customer Reviews
A marvelous book:
If I find a good book, I make a lot of notes. This is such a book. I made plenty of notes. What was new for me was the popularity of happiness books during the “dark” middle ages. I have to admire the thoroughness the writer has done his job. Major philosophical and theological ideas are nicely represented. I do not give easily five stars as you can find out, but this book really deserves it.
Echo of Paul Johnson:
This is a terrific book, and an amusing, provocative, and delightfully lilting read. McMahon echoes the suggestion of Paul Johnson that Enlightenment rationalism’s undermining of religioous faith left a vacuum that has been filled by worship of artists and intellectuals who, we are to imagine, feel deeply, and both suffer and exult so much more transcendently than we Muggles. While the first two-thirds of the book are a treat themselves, it is the final third that bears the book’s importance. It is here where McMahon exposes the many hollow spaces that we delude ourselves to be the residences of “happiness.”
Takes some work:
There is no doubting Mr. McMahon’s ability to write, research, and disect the crux of human happiness. What makes this a difficult read is getting through his ego that he injects throughout the book, and just focusing on the content of his research. In my opinion, Mr. McMahon should have taken more of his editor’s advice and streamlined his verbosity. If you can get through all of that, it is worth the time. The book can be both therapeutic and educating.
Happiness recovered:
The proliferation of new books about “Happiness” (many of the “how to” category) and the numerous reviews of what has been written in the past about its “pursuit”, may just show that either we do not know, or have failed to achieve that supposedly ultimate goal of human existence. The thouroughly documented and elegantly written “History of Happiness” by Darrin McMahon is not one of the crowd. It is brilliantly written and a pleasure to read, even by those who “don’t care” (aren’t there any?) about happiness and/or the literature concerning it. Starting with the meaning of the word (related to happening, haphazard and perhaps)we go through ancient philosophers, religious leaders, medieval scholars, to end up with modern democracies and the promises of the “false prophets”, political innovators and dictatorial demagogues. Prof. McMahon is not only a spectacularly well-informed academic but an inspiring and brilliant light on a subject that - well - is truly everyone’s concern.
Informative and Entertaining:
This was the best book I’ve read in the last year. It imparts information in a manner which is comprehensible and complete without using esoteric philosophical jargon. It is very accesible for the ordinary reader while covering complex subjects.
