Ancient Views On The Quality Of Life (springerbriefs In Well-being And Quality Of Life Research)
by Alex C. Michalos /
2015 / English / PDF
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This monograph describes the contributions to our current
understanding of quality of life made by the most important
ancient philosophers in the Western Tradition. It does so from
the point of view of a contemporary researcher in quality of life
or human well-being. Revisiting ancient texts from about 600 BCE
to 300 BCE, the book explores the earliest ideas in recorded
western philosophical and scientific history that were
significantly related to current research and understanding of
the quality of life or well-being for individuals and
communities. It examines the problems and solutions found in
these texts and their connection to still current fundamental
issues and questions such as: ‘What is a good life?’, ‘What is
the best sort of person to be?’ ‘How can one tell if one’s
society is making progress to some sort of desirable state or
falling backwards?’ The book shows that across time and across
many cultures, the human species bears some remarkable
similarities.
This monograph describes the contributions to our current
understanding of quality of life made by the most important
ancient philosophers in the Western Tradition. It does so from
the point of view of a contemporary researcher in quality of life
or human well-being. Revisiting ancient texts from about 600 BCE
to 300 BCE, the book explores the earliest ideas in recorded
western philosophical and scientific history that were
significantly related to current research and understanding of
the quality of life or well-being for individuals and
communities. It examines the problems and solutions found in
these texts and their connection to still current fundamental
issues and questions such as: ‘What is a good life?’, ‘What is
the best sort of person to be?’ ‘How can one tell if one’s
society is making progress to some sort of desirable state or
falling backwards?’ The book shows that across time and across
many cultures, the human species bears some remarkable
similarities.