Economic history and human happiness journey

With the ability to turn complex theories into profound humanistic lessons, author Daniel Cohen has condensed decades of his research into a concise book "A Brief History of Economics". This is also the author's most hopeful work about the future of humanity.

The book takes readers through major turning points in economic history, while raising a profound question: Does material prosperity really bring people closer to happiness?

Economic growth is the religion of the modern world" - with this bold social metaphor, author Daniel Cohen has opened the book "Economic History" with a new perspective on the contemporary world.

Daniel Cohen has sought to take readers through cycles of prosperity and decline, turning points of production, ideology and technology, thereby making a wake-up call for an era that he has left behind.

It is time for us to rethink the concept of a world that is in harmony with itself, a world that can give people the taste of "the taste of happiness and peace".

But if consumption helps maintain economic growth, does it really make people happier? In modern society, where growth becomes the central goal, material consumption gradually goes beyond the role of meeting basic needs to become a measure of status and success.

People not only buy what they need, but also buy to keep up with others, to affirm their position in a constantly moving society. It is in that mechanism of comparison and competition that materialism gradually creates an unstoppable spiral: When the common living standard increases, the expectations of each individual also increase.

Things that used to be luxury quickly become normal, while new desires continuously appear. Happiness, therefore, must be recreated every day like a blank sheet of paper. But because we cannot foresee that very process of adaptation, the dream of happiness continues endlessly.

But author Daniel Cohen does not think it is a sign of pessimism, he believes that because people are always eager, they always keep faith in a better future, a form of "eternal youth" in spirit, and from here, he raises a big question for the times: When growth and consumption have become the driving force of the global economy, does humanity need to find another way to define happiness?

Since history began, humanity has always sought happiness and constantly redefined it. Each era believes they have come closer to that ultimate destination. Nowadays, happiness is simplified into a measure of material things: status, wealth, income... Daniel Cohen calls this external value, which society always wants us to aim for.

However, he believes that we need to return to internal values: meaning in work, social relationships, and the feeling of contributing to the community. This not only means reviving the meaning of work in human life, but also reconsidering the boundaries between common values and what belongs to the market, and at the same time reviving the spirit of international cooperation in an increasingly interdependent world.

Therefore, "A Brief History of Economics" is not only a book about history, but also an invitation for reflection for people living in this era. By pointing out the deep influence of materialism on modern life, the book opens up other approaches to thinking about happiness, and about the ultimate purpose of economic development.