Pleasure

The Civilization of Pleasure

Every generation seems to discover a new reason to worry about the direction of civilization. Today, we worry about declining birth rates, the retreat from traditional family values, economic insecurity, social fragmentation, loneliness, and the apparent unwillingness of younger people to make the sacrifices that previous generations considered ordinary. We worry that ambition has weakened, that family has lost its importance, that people no longer believe in duty, and that comfort has made us unwilling to endure hardship. […]