Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment

Description

A compelling exploration of how our pursuit of happiness makes us unhappy We live in an age of unprecedented prosperity, yet everywhere we see signs that our pursuit of happiness has proven fruitless. Dissatisfied, we seek change for the sake of change - even if it means undermining the foundations of our common life. In Why We Are Restless, Benjamin and Jenna Storey offer a profound and beautiful reflection on the roots of this malaise and examine how we might begin to cure ourselves. Drawing on the insights of Montaigne, Pascal, Rousseau, and Tocqueville, Why We Are Restless explores the modern vision of happiness that leads us on, and the disquiet that follows it like a lengthening shadow. In the sixteenth century, Montaigne articulated an original vision of human life that inspired people to see themselves as individuals dedicated to seeking contentment in the here and now, but Pascal argued that we cannot find happiness through pleasant self-seeking, only anguished God-seeking. Rousseau later tried and failed to rescue Montaigne's worldliness from Pascal's attack. Steeped in these debates, Tocqueville visited the United States in 1831 and, observing a people 'restless in the midst of their well-being,' discovered what happens when an entire nation seeks worldly contentment - and finds mostly discontent. Arguing that the philosophy we have inherited, despite pretending to let us live as we please, produces remarkably homogenous and unhappy lives, Why We Are Restless makes the case that finding true contentment requires rethinking our most basic assumptions about happiness.

Benjamin Storey is the Jane Gage Hipp Professor of Politics and International Affairs and Director of the Tocqueville Program at Furman University. Jenna Silber Storey is Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs and Executive Director of the Tocqueville Program at Furman. They live in Greenville, South Carolina, with their three children. Website jbstorey.com

"I have read many critiques of liberalism, but none so original as Why We Are Restless."---Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal "[Benjamin and Jenna Storey's] book is an education in the irony and complexity of the modern quest for contentment, and in the pre-modern sources required for any understanding of how to actually achieve meaningful contentment. . . . I can't recommend it enough."---Yuval Levin, National Review "Terrific book. Hard to understand modern secular culture if you don't know anything about Montaigne."---Timothy Keller, New York Times bestselling author "Throughout this excellent book, the Storeys provide a model for how the thought of the past can be made vital."---Diana Schaub, Claremont Review of Books "Unapologetically earnest. . . brave and countercultural."---Joe Moran, Times Higher Education "Written in an engaging and compact style, [Why We Are Restless] is essential reading for all observers of the persistent, often hidden, but increasingly visible unhappiness of contemporary life. Benjamin and Jenna Storey have done us the service of restoring some of the deepest arguments about human happiness that lie at the roots of modern politics."---Adam Thomas, Public Discourse ""Why We Are Restless is a rich analysis of why we are unhappy and what we might begin to do about it.""---Nathaniel Peters, Law & Liberty "Beautifully written and carefully argued, it's as searching as it is subtle. . . . [Why We Are Restless] does a magnificent job of summarizing four hugely important thinkers with impressive clarity, wit, and brevity and raises some profound questions about the modern quest for happiness in the process. "---Andrew Wilson, Gospel Coalition "A powerful case that the invention of 'immanent contentment' in early modern France has everything to do with the infinite restlessness of the postmodern United States."---Delaney Thull, Fare Forward "A great read for pastors, theologians, and Christians who want to think deeply and critically about the culture."---Stephen Roberts, Modern Reformation "Culturally significant. . . . this study is a rich resource for reflection." * Paradigm Explorer * "Excellent . . . . Why We Are Restless stands out among other books like it by answering the question implied by its title with rigor and charity. "---Matt Dinan, Hedgehog Review