Brief History of Happiness

Nicholas P. White is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine.

"White takes his readers on [a] journey, aiming to reach an appreciation of the nature of happiness. He splendidly suceeds in making the journey as fascinating as it deserves to be. White has produced a unique, thoughtful work that provides a meaningful excursion through our conceptions of happiness. Readers will be left with a gift of greater insight into both the triumphs and limitations of our efforts to understand ourselves." PsycCRITIQUES"A valuable aid to the flourishing literature on happiness and its history."Ethics "Nicholas White offers a brisk, informative, and readable account of various attempts, throughout the Western philosophical tradition, to articulate the meaning of that elusive term 'happiness.'" Review of Metaphysics

• Preface vii1 Introducing the Concept 12 Conflicts, Perspectives, and the Identification of Happiness 63 Pleasure, Hedonism, and the Measurement of Happiness 414 Happiness as Structure and Harmony 755 Morality, Happiness, and Conflict 1166 Happiness, Fact, and Value 1427 Doing without the Concept 162Glossary and List of Historical Figures 175Bibliography 181Index 187