The search for happiness has been an enduring quest for us all. The greatest minds from history--Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Rousseau, Kant, Mill, Gandhi, Einstein and many others-all confirm that happiness is the one thing we all crave after. The Wild Longing of the Human Heart is divided into two parts. Part one examines the brief history of happiness which has not always meant exactly the same thing to all cultures and individuals, and then moves on to summarize the latest information from the areas of brain science as well as the field of positive psychology. Part two proposes that it is not happiness (in the psycho-physiological sense of something like tranquility) which is the true goal of human living. Rather, the true goal of the "wild longing" is a meaningful life, guided by the search for truth, beauty and goodness.

William Cooney is a professor of philosophy at Hodges University and an adjunct professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is past recipient of Teacher of the Year (Burlington Northern Faculty Excellence Award: Briar Cliff University) and Distinguished Scholarship Awards (Briar Cliff University and Marquette University). His other books include Reflections on Gabriel Marcel (ed.), Ten Great Thinkers, From Plato to Piaget, and The Quest for Meaning. His articles appear in such professional journals as Dialogue, Journal for Applied Ethics, The Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics, and The Encyclopedia of Death and Dying.

Preface

Part One: The Wild Longing of the Human Heart: The Search for Happiness
Chapter One: The End We All Seek
Chapter Two: A Brief History of Happiness
Chapter Three: Happiness and the Brain
Chapter Four: Happiness and Positive Psychology

Part Two: The Wild Longing of the Human Heart: The Search for Something More
Chapter Five: Is Happiness the End We Seek?
Chapter Six: Socrates and the Examined Life
Chapter Seven: The Search for Truth, Beauty and Goodness
Chapter Eight: The Wild Longing of the Human Heart
Chapter Nine: Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Author