Greed, Lust and Gender: A History of Economic IdeasWhen does the pursuit of self-interest go too far, lapsing into morally unacceptable behaviour? Until the unprecedented events of the recent global financial crisis economists often seemed unconcerned with this question, even suggesting that "greed is good." A closer look, however, suggests that greed and lust are generally considered good only for men, and then only outside the realm of family life.
The pursuit of happiness is a defining theme of the modern era. But what if people aren't very good at it? This and related questions are explored in this book, the first comprehensive philosophical treatment of happiness in the contemporary psychological sense. In these pages, Dan Haybron argues that people are probably less effective at judging, and promoting, their own welfare than common belief has it. For the psychological dimensions of well-being, particularly our emotional lives, are far richer and more complex than we tend to realize. Knowing one's own interests is no trivial matter. As well, we tend to make a variety of systematic errors in the pursuit of happiness. We may need, then, to rethink traditional assumptions about human nature, the good life, and the good society. Thoroughly engaged with both philosophical and scientific work on happiness and well-being, this book will be a definitive resource for philosophers, social scientists, policymakers, and other students of human well-being.
The Pursuit of Excellence Through Education by Michel Ferrari
Although the pursuit of excellence is as old as academics itself, the increasing diversity of the student population and limited resources are obliging educators and policymakers to return to the fundamental questions about the nature of excellence at the heart of the educational process. Specific definitions of excellence may change over time; however, few things are considered more important to education than the pursuit of academic excellence. It is almost impossible to imagine an effective educator who does not aim to promote excellent performances in his or her charges.
This volume allows those who emphasize transforming institutions and those who emphasize transforming individual activity to jointly consider how best to promote excellence through education. The point is not to favor either institutional or individual pursuit of excellence; rather, it is to raise the question of the relative responsibilities of each of these two poles to the human dialectic. Stated another way, the point is to consider how these two divergent viewpoints can be reconciled, or simply coordinated, in an effort to benefit both students and society at large.
