| 摘要註: |
The Happiness agenda is a unique, timely and relevant investigation into the Anglo-American obsession with being happy. It is presently evident across the realms of: employment policies, management consultancy advice, governmental debates and mandates, news stories, television fiction and documentaries, psychology, self-help courses, and even school classrooms. However, instead of following the pervasive trend of offering prescriptive techniques to measure and increase happiness, this book provides distinct and original explanations as to why such efforts are presently so seductive. Via historical and theoretical analysis, both the foundational 'myths' (individualism, rationalism, humanism and instrumentalism) and the advent of three key developmental ideological 'shocks' (utilitarianism, human relations and positivity) which have engineered such a cultural climate are exposed. It thus satisfies the gap in the market for readers interested in understanding the origins, current manifestation and possible future of our societal fixation on happiness, rather than simply perpetuating it. |