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Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess
Full title: | Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess |
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ISBN: | 9780143120803 |
ISBN 10: | 0143120808 |
Authors: | Akst, Daniel |
Publisher: | Penguin Books |
Edition: | Reprint |
Num. pages: | 320 |
Binding: | Paperback |
Language: | en |
Published on: | 2011 |
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Synopsis
" This elegantly written and useful book . . . describes how, for millennia, human beings have struggled to rein in desire." -USA Today
At a time when the fallout from reckless spending and unrestrained consumption is fueling a national malaise, Daniel Akst delivers a witty and comprehensive investigation of the central problem of our time: how to save ourselves from what we want. Temptation reminds us that while more calories, sex, and intoxicants are readily available than ever before, crucial social constraints have eroded, creating a world that sorely tests the limits of human willpower. Referencing history, literature, psychology, philosophy, and economics, Akst draws a vivid picture of the many-sided problem of desire-and delivers a blueprint for how we can steer shrewdly away from a campaign of self-destruction.