Читать книгу The Pursuit of Happiness: A Book of Studies and Strowings - Daniel G. Brinton - Страница 3
ОглавлениеPART I.
Happiness as the Aim of Life.
I. Is a Guide to Happiness Possible? And if Possible, is it Desirable?
Objections to the Pursuit of Happiness as a Low and Selfish Aim.—Answered by the Fact that we Cannot do Otherwise than Pursue it.—Enjoyment is not a Sin, but a Duty.—No One Can Impart Happiness who does not Possess it Himself.—It is Desirable, therefore, that Men be Taught How to become Happy.—Nor is this a Commendation of Selfishness,
pp. 9−14
II. The Definition of Happiness.
Happiness is not Pleasure, but is Built Upon it.—Explanation of Pleasure and Pain in Sensation.—Happiness Dependent on the Will and Self-consciousness.—Difference Between Self-feeling and Self-seeking.—Happiness is the Increasing Consciousness of Self.—It may be Derived from Other than Pleasurable Feelings.—The Yearning for Joy is a Cry of Nature.—It is the Secret of Evolution,
pp. 15−20
III. The Relative Value of Pleasures.
All Pleasures are Inseparably Connected.—The Error of Religions and Philosophies which Condemn Any.—Escape from Pain the Lowest Form of Pleasure.—Indifference to Pleasure a Sign of Mental Failing.—Contentment is not Happiness.—Happiness means Expansion and Growth.—Practical Difficulty in Comparing Pleasures.—The Hierarchy of Enjoyments.—The Blunders of Asceticism.—The Equality of Pleasures, as Such,
pp. 21−25
IV. The Distribution of Happiness.
Relation of Happiness to the Means of Happiness.—Law of the “Rate of Pleasure.”—The Extremes of the Social Order Equally Unfavorable.—Civilization does not Increase Personal Enjoyment.—Social Evils Diminish, but Personal Sufferings Increase.—The Motive of the True Civilization.—Women Have Less Happiness than Men.—Partly through their Physical Nature, Partly through Social Impositions.—Pernicious, Legal and Ecclesiastical Restrictions.—The True and False Education of Women.—Man will Profit by Woman’s Improvement.—Childhood and Youth not the Happiest Periods of Life.—Enjoyment Should Increase with Mental and Physical Vigor.—Old Age is not the Period of Wisdom.—Spurious Enjoyments of the Aged.
pp. 26−35
V. Principles of a Self-Education for the Promotion of One’s Own Happiness.
Happiness is the Reward of Effort.—The Greatest Efficiency is not the Greatest Happiness.—The Principles of a Self-Education:—I. The Multiplication of the Sources of Enjoyment—What these Sources Are—The Avoidance of Profitless Pain—The Value of Knowledge—The True End of Culture—Falsity of “Contentment with Little.”—The Kind of Knowledge Required:—1. Of Our Bodily Constitution—2. Of the Elements of the Sciences—3. Of the Nature of the Mind—4. Of the Principles of Business—5. Of the Value of Evidence.—II. The Maintenance of a Sensibility to Pleasure.—The Criteria of Pleasurable Sensations.—The Anatomy of Ennui.—III. The Search for Variety of Impressions.—Variety Necessary to High Pleasure.—Pleasure must be Remitted.—The Individual should Seek Novelty.—The Evil Effects of Habit.—IV. The Proper Proportion Between Desire and Pleasure.—The Wisdom of Counting the Cost.—Precepts for the Regulation of Desire.—V. Make all Pleasures a Part of Happiness.—All Pleasures are Excellent.—Error of the Contrary Doctrine.—All Pleasures should be Brought into Relation.—The Bond of Sense to what is Beyond Sense.—The Reality of the Ideal.
Strowingspp. 36−56
PART II.
How Far Our Happiness Depends on Nature and Fate.
I. Our Bodily and Mental Constitutions.
Life as a Synonym of Happiness.—Necessity and Chance the Arbiters of Life.—The Endowment of the Child.—The Laws of Heredity.—Hereditary and Congenital Traits.—The Heritage of the Race.—Family Jewels and Family Curses.—The Avenue of Escape.—Precepts for Self-training.—Words for Women.—Beauty and its Cult.—Its Perils and its Power.—The Ideal of the Beautiful.—The Four Temperaments.—Cheerfulness and its Physical Seat.—Diseases that are Cheerful and those that are Not.—What to do in an Attack of the Blues.—Old Age and its Attainment.—The Fallacious Bliss of Youth.—Men who Outlive Themselves.
Strowingspp. 57−80
II. Our Physical Surroundings.
Clothing and its Objects.—The Dress of Women.—The Value of Good Clothes.—The Room and its Furniture.—Our Living Rooms.—Own Your Own House.—Foes to Fight in House-building.—A New Principle for Architects.—Love of Home and Homesickness.—How Climate Influences Cheerfulness.
Strowingspp. 81−91
III. Luck and its Laws.
What Solon said about Happiness.—Destiny in Human Affairs.—The Calculation of Chances.—Results of the Laws of Luck.—They Cannot be Escaped.—Runs of Luck and their Results.—“A Fool for Luck,” and Why.—The Story of Polycrates and its Moral.—The Fetichism of Gamblers.—Luck Does Less Than Many Think.—The Miracles of Insurance.—The Dark Hand of Destiny.—Trifles Rule the World.—We Are the Slaves of Chance.—But What is Chance?
Strowingspp. 92−108
PART III.
How Far Our Happiness Depends on Ourselves.
I. Our Occupations—Those of Necessity and those of Choice.
The Washerwoman’s Ideal of Happiness.—Labor is the True Source of Enjoyment.—Selection of an Occupation.—How to Find Pleasure in Its Pursuit.—Fitness and Unfitness for Certain Occupations.—Dangers of Diligence in Business.—The Rare Complaint, Over-Conscientiousness.—Making a Living a Mean Business.—Occupations of Choice.—Reflections on Recreations.
Strowingspp. 109−117
II. Money-making, Its Laws and Its Limits.
The Universal Prayer.—Property the Foundation of Progress.—Wealth is Welcome to All.—What Riches Give.—“Effective” and “Productive” Riches.—The Author Discovers the Fortunate Isles.—But is Promptly Disenchanted.—How to Get Rich.—Another Way to Get Rich.—New Lamps for Old.—Riches and Happiness.
Strowingspp. 118−127
III. The Pleasures we may Derive from Our Senses.
The Elect of God are those who Improve their Faculties.—Division of the Faculties.—The Rules of Pleasure.—The Rule of Moderation.—The Rule of Variety.—Pleasures of the Muscular Sense.—Of the Sense of Touch.—Of the Sense of Smell.—Of Tobacco Using.—Eating as a Fine Art.—The Symmetry of a Well-served Dinner.—Gastronomic Precepts.—Pleasures of the Sense of Hearing.—Of the Sense of Sight.
Strowingspp. 128−141
IV. The Pleasures we may Derive from Our Emotions.
Hope and Fear.—The Folly of Philosophies.—Hopes which are Incompatibles.—A Most Useful Suggestion.—Fear is a Safeguard.—Worry and its Remedies.—Courage and Apathy.—Remorse and Regret.—Anger, Hatred, and Revenge.—The Imagination.—The Esthetic Emotions.—The Contemplation of Nature.—The Arts of Pleasure.—The Excellence of Good Taste.—Plot-Interest.—The Emotions of Pursuit.—The Emotions of Risk.
Strowingspp. 142−155
V. The Pleasures we may Derive from Our Intellect.
The Search for Truth.—Advantages of Intellectual Pleasures.—Especially to Women.—Riddles and Puzzles.—Reading, and Rules for It.—My Own Plan.—What Line to Read In.—A Plea for Poetry.—Thinking About Reading.—What Meditation Means.—Social Intellectual Pleasures.—Writing and Letter Writing.—Keeping a Diary.—The Pursuit of Truth.—What Truth Is.—The Study of Science.
Strowingspp. 156−168
VI. The Satisfaction of the Religious Sentiment.
Happiness the Only Standard of Value.—The Strange Law of Evolution.—The Ideal of Humanity.—The Position of Dogmatic Religion.-The Unhappiness Produced by Religions.—The Happiness Derived from Religions.—The Doctrine of Faith.—Morality and Religion.—Erroneous Estimate of the Moral Life.—True Religious Unity.—The Religion of the Future.
Strowingspp. 169−180
VII. The Cultivation of Our Individuality.
The Prevailing Lack of Individuality.—Examples of Great Teachers.—The Man of Strong Personality.—What Individuality Is and Is Not.—Value of Self-knowledge.—The Pains of Diffidence.—Dangers of Self-conceit.—The Tyranny of Opinion.—The Foolishness of Fixed Principles.—Obstinate Asseveration.—Giving and Taking Advice.—Decision of Character.—Importance of Reserve.—Sincerity is Essential.—Veracity at Least to Oneself.—Seek Many-sidedness of Character.
Strowingspp. 181−193
PART IV.
How Far Our Happiness Depends on Others.
I. What Others Give Us: Safety, Liberty, Education.
Man’s Dependence on Society for his Safety.—Security the Aim of Government.—Two Theories of Government.—Justice as the Aim of Government.—Freedom the Aim of Law.—Another Theory of Government.—Knowledge the Brother of Liberty.—Education a Necessity.—Defective Education of Women.—What it Should Be.—Study Should Be Made a Pleasure.—Man’s Dependence on Others.
Strowingspp. 195−205
II. What we Owe Others: Morality, Duty, Benevolence.
Happiness and Virtue are Independent Aims.—Morality and the Moral Sense not the Same.—What Morality Is.—No Universal Moral Precepts.—The Dualism of Morals.—The Sense of Duty.—The Pleasures of the Moral Sense.—What “A Clear Conscience” Means.—What is “The Chief End of Man.”—The Moral Sense Opposes Moral Laws.—The Benevolent Emotions.
Strowingspp. 206−215
III. The Practice of Business and the Enjoyment of Society.
The Value of Association.—Society Should Not Ask the Sacrifice of the Individual.—Maxims for Dealing with Men: First, Distrust; Second, Trust.—What “Society” is.—The Drawing-room as the Shrine of Civilization.—Good-will the Basis of Good Society.—Ordinary People are the Most Agreeable.—Maxim for Success in Society.—The Aim of Society.—Good Society Not Selfish.—The Power of Society.—What Politeness is.—Society Conversation.—The Expert in Small Talk.
Strowingspp. 216−227
IV. On Fellowship, Comradeship, and Friendship.
Man’s Highest Pleasure is in Humanity.—What Fellowship Means.—Mutuality of Interests the Basis of Social Progress.—But the Individual must be Respected.—Comradeship is Based on Tastes in Common.—It is a Substitute for Friendship.—Examples of it.—The Meaning of Friendship.—What Weakens and what Strengthens it.—It should be Carefully Cultivated.—Friendship Between Men and Women.—Examples of it.
Strowingspp. 228−237
V. Love, Marriage, and the Family Relation.
The Single Life Ever Incomplete.—The Holiness of Maternity.—The Emotion of Love Explained.—Love and Beauty.—Love Immortalized in Posterity.—The History of Marriage.—The Three Conditions of Marriage.—The Question of Divorce.—What True Marriage Means.—Opinions of Thinkers About Divorce.—The Family as the Object of Marriage.—The Family Tie Among Us.
Strowingspp. 238−247
PART V.
The Consolations of Affliction.
I. The Removal of Unhappiness.
Suffering is Unavoidable.—Where to Look for Consolation.—Two Consoling Reflections.—Advantage of a Multitude of Miseries.—The Habit of Unhappiness.—Some Require Ill Fortune.—Two Popular Methods of Consolation.—Talk It Over, and Why.—Our Strange Claim for Happiness.—The Tolerance of Suffering.—The Universal Panacea.—Look Before and After.—Deal Justly by Yourself.—How to Regard Incivility and Ingratitude.—Success Arising from Failures.—Resignation, Sympathy.—Remember Your Advantages.—Thoughts About Time and Death.
Strowingspp. 248−280
II. The Inseparable Connection of Pleasure and Pain.
Pleasure Requires Pain, and Joy Sorrow.—The Words of Socrates.—Physiological Relations of Pleasure and Pain.—Their Analogy to Joy and Sorrow.—The Oneness of the Pleasure-Pain Sensation.—The Rhythm of Sensations and Emotions.—Pleasure Derived from Pain, Joy from Sorrow.—Quotation from Leigh Hunt.—Quotation from Sir Richard Steele.—Sadness the Best Preparative for Gladness.—Influence of Time on Pleasures and Pains.
Strowingspp. 263−272
III. The Education of Suffering.
What is Suffering?—The Human Passion of Sorrow.—Sorrow as the Initiation into the Mysteries of Life.—The Noblest Prizes Won Only by Suffering.—It is the Highest Inspiration of Religion and Art.—It Alone Teaches the Elder Truths.—The Ministry of Grief.—The Sweetness of Departed Joys.—The Compensations of Loves that are Lost.—The Despair that is Divine.
Strowingspp. 273−280
