Will I love The Pursuit of Happiness?

Wonderful exploration of virtue as illustrated by the American founders. Both their very self conscious pursuit of a virtuous life and their personal failures to meet their own high standards.

By diving into the reading lists and writings of the Founding Fathers, Jeffrey Rosen provides a unique view on what inspired their thinking as they laid the foundations for America's founding. Of the many insights Rosen provides, one is that how we interpret "the pursuit of happiness" has markedly shifted over the centuries. According to the Founding Fathers, the pursuit of happiness was a eudemonistic endeavour (i.e. the pursuit of virtues like temperance, humility and moderation). In modern days, the pursuit of happiness is by many considered to be a hedonistic endeavour (i.e. the pursuit of vices, such as pleasure,… show more.