The Pursuit of Laziness
The Pursuit of Laziness

Author: Pierre Saint-Amand

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2011-05-09

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1400838711

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

We think of the Enlightenment as an era dominated by ideas of progress, production, and industry--not an era that favored the lax and indolent individual. But was the Enlightenment only about the unceasing improvement of self and society? The Pursuit of Laziness examines moral, political, and economic treatises of the period, and reveals that crucial eighteenth-century texts did find value in idleness and nonproductivity. Fleshing out Enlightenment thinking in the works of Denis Diderot, Joseph Joubert, Pierre de Marivaux, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Jean-Siméon Chardin, this book explores idleness in all its guises, and illustrates that laziness existed, not as a vice of the wretched, but as an exemplar of modernity and a resistance to beliefs about virtue and utility. Whether in the dawdlings of Marivaux's journalist who delayed and procrastinated or in the subjects of Chardin's paintings who delighted in suspended, playful time, Pierre Saint-Amand shows how eighteenth-century works provided a strong argument for laziness. Rousseau abandoned his previous defense of labor to pursue reverie and botanical walks, Diderot emphasized a parasitic strategy of resisting work in order to liberate time, and Joubert's little-known posthumous Notebooks radically opposed the central philosophy of the Enlightenment in a quest to infinitely postpone work. Unsettling the stubborn view of the eighteenth century as an age of frenetic industriousness and labor, The Pursuit of Laziness plumbs the texts and images of the time and uncovers deliberate yearnings for slowness and recreation. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

Laziness Does Not Exist
Laziness Does Not Exist

Author: Devon Price

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-01-05

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1982140135

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From social psychologist Dr. Devon Price, a conversational, stirring call to “a better, more human way to live” (Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author) that examines the “laziness lie”—which falsely tells us we are not working or learning hard enough. Extra-curricular activities. Honors classes. 60-hour work weeks. Side hustles. Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, they were forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity. Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough. Filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society’s pressure to do more, and featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work, Laziness Does Not Exist “is the book we all need right now” (Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet).

Bonjour Laziness
Bonjour Laziness

Author: Corinne Maier

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2006-09-12

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 1400096286

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “provocative ... highly readable ... refreshing ... [and] practical" book (The Los Angeles Times) that explains why it is in your best interest to work as little as possible. Your company wants you to be loyal. You should feel lucky—after all, your job is a privilege (think of all those who would like to have it). And you know (despite what you’ve read about Enron and WorldCom) that management has your best interests at heart. Your goal is to devote yourself to the pursuit of corporate profit, make your company number one, and reap the benefits of its success. Or is there something else you want to do with your life? Bonjour Laziness dares to ask whether you really have a stake in the corporate sweepstakes, whether professional mobility is anything but an opiate. It shows you how to become impervious to manipulation and escape the implacable law of usefulness.

The Middle Way
The Middle Way

Author: Cole Hastings

Publisher:

Published: 2020-10-10

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Creativity is the most underdeveloped natural skill that lies within every human being. Developing it starts with laziness. No-one is ever truly lazy anymore. When we are presented with a state of boredom, the large majority of us pull out our phones or turn to some other form of media to pass the time. What this has created, are recent generations full of untapped creative potential just waiting to be unearthed through spending our free time doing the optimal lazy things. The Middle Way: How To Strategically Use Laziness To Enhance your Creative Power offers a unique perspective on the development of creativity, success, and fulfillment in one's life. In an era where efficiency, speed, and time is severely overvalued, The Middle Way teaches you why this type of thinking can be detrimental to your mental and physical health (and above all, detrimental to the pursuit of enhancing your creative skills). Content Creator, Videographer and Entrepreneur Cole Hastings argues that in order to live the most gratifying and stress-free creative life, the way you view the meaning of life, yourself, and the entire universe must first be altered. When this has been developed thoroughly, you can then adopt the "lazy" strategies that the most successful creatives use to shine and prosper within their areas of expertise. This book explores both the mindset shift required and the tools and tactics needed to make a living off of your creative gift. In this book, you will learn: - Why genuine free time is the most underutilized aspect of modern society - How every successful creative person thinks and acts (and how to do this in your own authentic way) - Why "giving it your all" is actually terrible advice - How to find out what you're meant to do on this planet - How to use the most popular social media platforms to your creative advantage - A culmination of philosophies that induce creativity, calmness, and curiosity within you and much more...

Inventing Laziness
Inventing Laziness

Author: Melis Hafez

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-12-09

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 1108427847

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A lively and original study tracing the development of 'laziness' as a way to understanding emerging civic culture in the Ottoman Empire.

Happiness
Happiness

Author: Darrin M. McMahon

Publisher: Grove Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 572

ISBN-13: 9780802142894

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An intellectual history of man's most elusive yet coveted goal. Today, we think of happiness as a natural right, but people haven't always felt this way. Historian McMahon argues that our modern belief in happiness is a recent development, the product of a revolution in human expectations carried out since the eighteenth century. He investigates that fundamental transformation by synthesizing two thousand years of politics, culture, and thought. In ancient Greek tragedy, happiness was considered a gift of the gods. During the Enlightenment men and women were first introduced to the novel prospect that they could--in fact should--be happy in this life as opposed to the hereafter. This recognition of happiness as a motivating ideal led to its consecration in the Declaration of Independence. McMahon then shows how our modern search continues to generate new forms of pleasure, but also, paradoxically, new forms of pain.--From publisher description.

The Pursuit of Holiness
The Pursuit of Holiness

Author: Jerry Bridges

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1631466399

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This new edition replaces both The Pursuit of Holiness (ISBN 9781576839324) and the study guide (ISBN 9781576839881) by combining both resources into one volume "Be holy, for I am holy," commands God. But holiness is something that is often missed in the Christian's daily life. According to Navigator author Jerry Bridges, that's because we're not exactly sure what our part in holiness is. In The Pursuit of Holiness, he helps us see clearly just what we should rely on God to do--and what we should take responsibility for ourselves. As you deepen your relationship with God, learn more about His character, and understand the Holy Spirit's role in holiness, your spiritual growth will mature. The included study guide contains 12 lessons.

Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society

Author: N.H. Kleinbaum

Publisher: Disney Electronic Content

Published: 2012-10-16

Total Pages: 105

ISBN-13: 1401305598

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Todd Anderson and his friends at Welton Academy can hardly believe how different life is since their new English professor, the flamboyant John Keating, has challenged them to "make your lives extraordinary! Inspired by Keating, the boys resurrect the Dead Poets Society--a secret club where, free from the constraints and expectations of school and parents, they let their passions run wild. As Keating turns the boys on to the great words of Byron, Shelley, and Keats, they discover not only the beauty of language, but the importance of making each moment count. Can the club and the individuality it inspires survive the pressure from authorities determined to destroy their dreams? But the Dead Poets pledges soon realize that their newfound freedom can have tragic consequences. Can the club and the individuality it inspires survive the pressure from authorities determined to destroy their dreams?