Pascal Bruckner Book order

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

Islamophobia' is a term that has existed since the 19th century. But in recent decades, argues Pascal Bruckner in his controversial new book, this term has become a weapon used to silence criticism of Islam. It allows those who brandish the term in the name of Islam to 'freeze' the latter, making reform difficult. Whereas Christianity and Judaism have been rejuvenated over the centuries by external criticism, Islam has been shielded from critical examination and has remained impervious to change. This tendency is exacerbated by the hypocrisy of those Western defenders of Islam who, in the name of the principles of the Enlightenment, seek to muzzle its critics while at the same time demanding the right to chastise and criticize other religions. These developments, argues Bruckner, are counter-productive for Western democracies as they struggle with the twin challenges of immigration and terrorism. The return of religion in Western democracies must not be equated with the defense of fanaticism, and the right to religious freedom must go hand in hand with freedom of expression, an openness to criticism and a rejection of all forms of extremism. There are already more than enough forms of racism; there is no need to imagine more. While all violence directed against Muslims is to be strongly condemned and punished, defining these acts as 'Islamophobic' rather than criminal does more to damage Islam and weaken the position of Muslims than to strengthen them

Money is an evil that does good, and a good that does evil. It is wise to have money, says Pascal Bruckner, and wise to think and talk about it critically. One of the world's great essayists guides us through the commentary that money has generated since ancient times, as he builds an unfashionable defense of the worldly wisdom of the bourgeoisie.

The story revolves around Leon, a small man who captures the attention of Paris by marrying the stunning and tall Solange, a successful stomatologist. Despite the couple's stark physical differences, Leon blissfully embraces his role as a husband and father, welcoming multiple beautiful children into their lives. The narrative explores themes of love, societal perceptions, and the dynamics of an unconventional marriage, all while highlighting the humor in their contrasting appearances.

In this thought-provoking book, Pascal Bruckner explores the evolving relationship between love and marriage. He argues that while love has triumphed over marriage, it now threatens its very existence. The decline in weddings and rise in single-parent families highlight the complexities of modern love, revealing enduring issues like infidelity and betrayal.

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."