Pascal Bruckner Books

"A brilliant philosophical reflection on the meaning of life after 50"--Provided by publisher

Fascism, communism, genocide, slavery, racism, and imperialism - the West has no shortage of reasons for guilt. And, indeed, since the Holocaust and the end of World War II, Europeans in particular have been consumed by remorse. This title argues that obsessive guilt has obscured important realities.

How happiness became mandatory—and why we should reject the demand to "be happy" Happiness today is not just a possibility or an option but a requirement and a duty. To fail to be happy is to fail utterly. Happiness has become a religion—one whose smiley-faced god looks down in rebuke upon everyone who hasn't yet attained the blessed state of perpetual euphoria. How has a liberating principle of the Enlightenment—the right to pursue happiness—become the unavoidable and burdensome responsibility to be happy? How did we become unhappy about not being happy—and what might we do to escape this predicament? In Perpetual Euphoria, Pascal Bruckner takes up these questions with all his unconventional wit, force, and brilliance, arguing that we might be happier if we simply abandoned our mad pursuit of happiness. Gripped by the twin illusions that we are responsible for being happy or unhappy and that happiness can be produced by effort, many of us are now martyring ourselves—sacrificing our time, fortunes, health, and peace of mind—in the hope of entering an earthly paradise. Much better, Bruckner argues, would be to accept that happiness is an unbidden and fragile gift that arrives only by grace and luck. A stimulating and entertaining meditation on the unhappiness at the heart of the modern cult of happiness, Perpetual Euphoria is a book for everyone who has ever bristled at the command to "be happy."

The term 'Islamophobia' has been around since the nineteenth century, but Pascal Bruckner argues it has recently become a tool to silence criticism of Islam. This term allows its users to 'freeze' Islam, hindering necessary reform. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, which have evolved through external critique, Islam has largely avoided such scrutiny. Bruckner highlights the hypocrisy of Western defenders of Islam who, while promoting Enlightenment values, seek to silence critics of Islam while freely criticizing other religions. This dynamic is detrimental to Western democracies facing immigration and terrorism challenges. The resurgence of religion in these societies should not be confused with the endorsement of fanaticism; the right to religious freedom must coexist with freedom of expression, openness to critique, and a rejection of extremism. There are already numerous forms of racism, and inventing more is unnecessary. While all violence against Muslims must be condemned, labeling these acts as 'Islamophobic' rather than criminal ultimately harms Islam and undermines the position of Muslims.

Pascal Bruckner s’attaque avec vigueur au malaise qui consume les sociétés occidentales : le « tiers-mondisme » qui repose surtout, derrière la solidarité affichée, sur la haine de soi. Cette idéologie oppose un Sud radieux, peuplé d’agneaux et de martyrs, à un Nord rapace, habité de loups et de nantis. Une vision trop simpliste et culpabilisante qui trouve ici un lumineux contrepoint. Né en 1948, Pascal Bruckner a écrit de nombreux romans et essais, dont La Tentation de l’innocence (prix Médicis de l’essai 1995) et Les Voleurs de beauté (prix Renaudot 1997). Il est également l’auteur de Lunes de fiel et co-auteur de La Plus Belle Histoire de l’amour, disponibles en Points.

Jeder ist heute mit sich allein, steht vor der Aufgabe, sein Schicksal selbst in die Hand zu nehmen, und seiner Existenz einen Sinn zu verleihen. Das moderne Individuum trägt die Last einer grenzenlosen Verantwortung auf seinen Schultern, denn mit der Auflösung archaischer Machtverhältnisse, der Tradition, der Kirche, der Familie, verlor es seine Sicherheit. Um diese Last abzuschütteln, gibt es zwei Fluchtwege, die zugleich die krankhaften Symptome der heutigen Gesellschaft sind: den Infantilismus und die Tendenz, sich als Opfer zu begreifen.§Wie ist es mit dem Fortbestand der Demokratie bestellt, wenn eine Mehrheit seiner Bürger den Status des ständigen Opfers anstrebt und damit riskiert, die Stimme der wirklich Benachteiligten zum Schweigen zu bringen? Pascal Bruckner schildert, wie sich diese Haltung auf sämtliche gesellschaftliche Bereiche auswirkt: auf die Politik, die Medien und die Beziehungen zwischen den Geschlechtern.