Power, pleasure, and profit
insatiable appetites from Machiavelli to Madison
David Wootton
386 pages | ~11 hrs
Power, pleasure, and profit
insatiable appetites from Machiavelli to Madison
By David Wootton
In our modern world, the relentless pursuit of power, pleasure, and profit feels like an unchangeable aspect of human nature. We calculate costs and benefits, measure success through achievement, and navigate life through instrumental reasoning. Yet as David Wootton reveals in this illuminating exploration, this mindset is neither natural nor inevitable—it represents a profound transformation in how humanity understands itself and its purpose.
Wootton takes readers on a fascinating journey through four centuries of Western intellectual history, from Machiavelli to Madison, uncovering how a revolutionary shift in thinking reshaped civilization. As religious conflicts and scientific discoveries challenged traditional frameworks, the established systems of Aristotelian ethics and Christian morality began to crumble. Into this void stepped new philosophies that prioritized rational self-interest over virtue and honor.
Through the works of influential thinkers including Hobbes, Locke, and Adam Smith, Wootton demonstrates how instrumental reasoning emerged as the dominant force shaping human behavior. This transformation proved to be a double-edged development. While it dismantled rigid hierarchies and enabled movements toward liberty and equality, it also created a world where success often matters more than character, and where concepts like virtue, honor, and shame have lost much of their guiding power.
For those seeking to understand the spiritual and ethical foundations of contemporary life, this work offers profound insights into how we arrived at our current crossroads.
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore timeless philosophical wisdom
- ✓ Explore Power (social sciences)
- ✓ Explore Conduct of life
- ✓ Explore Ambition
- ✓ Learn about the path to enlightenment
- ✓ Explore Power (Social sciences)
- ✓ Explore Pleasure
- ✓ Explore Social
Topics
Details
- Published
- 2018
- Publisher
- Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press
- ISBN-13
- 9780674976672
- ISBN-10
- 0674976673
- Pages
- 386
- Language
- EN
