昨天看到介紹這本書的文章, 書名為"Happiness: A History", 作者是Darrin M. McMahon, 是美國Florida State University歷史系教授.
"Happiness: A History"於2006年被The New York Times選為100 Notable Books of the Year之一.
快樂也有歷史? 而且更是由一名歷史教授寫的著作.
根據Barbara Bamberger Scott, 不同年代的偉人對快樂都有不同的說法:
Karl Marx: to be found in the sweat of one's brow
Sigmund Freud: killing off the instincts and defending oneself against "the dreaded external world"
John Lennon: just a warm gun
作者認為快樂的歷史源於法國及美國的革命: "it was in fact the timeframe of the French and American revolutions that marked the beginning of a trend towards the possibility of general happiness after centuries of plague, feudalism and the iron-fisted domination of monolithic religion"
作者認為快樂的歷史源於法國及美國的革命: "it was in fact the timeframe of the French and American revolutions that marked the beginning of a trend towards the possibility of general happiness after centuries of plague, feudalism and the iron-fisted domination of monolithic religion"
"Something happened in Europe and America that made happiness not only pursuable but catchable."
作者亦會提到現今抗抑鬱藥Prozac, 還有Declaration of Independence, 等等所能夠帶來的快樂. 不過此書不是什麼self-help book, 不要期望可從中得到快樂.
3 comments:
呵呵，Declaration of Independence。
正在看Jeffrey Archer 的 Honour Among Thieves。Saddam設計偷去了美國的Declaration of Independence，美國又去偷回來。很有趣味的書。
你出文比我看文還要快，追你唔到呀：p
"honour among thieves", new book?
今日放假, 可能post多兩篇添呀... :)
Mad dog, no 啦。First published 1993 啦. The edition I’m reading now was published in 2003, very interesting book.
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