" This elegantly written and useful book . . . describes how, for millennia, human beings have struggled to rein in desire." -USA TodayAt 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.
- ISBN10 1101555890
- ISBN13 9781101555897
- Publish Date 27 December 2011 (first published 1 December 2011)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Penguin Group
- Format eBook
- Pages 320
- Language English