There are many ways to try to improve our lives--we can turn to the
wisdom of philosophers, the teachings of spiritual guides, or the latest
experiments of psychologists. But we rarely look to history for
inspiration--and when we do, it can be surprisingly powerful. In How
Should We Live? the cultural historian Roman Krznaric explores twelve
universal topics--including love, family, and empathy; work, time, and
money--by illuminating the past and revealing the wisdom we have been
missing. There is much to be learned from the ancient Greeks about the
different varieties of love, for example, from medieval and Renaissance
Europeans about living with passion and facing the realities of death,
from various indigenous cultures on bringing up our children, and from
Japanese pilgrims on the art of travel. Whether it is the different uses
of the senses or nature across time, or changing attitudes to belief and
creativity, How Should We Live? is full of ideas and stories from the
past. A wonderful work of "practical history," it sheds invaluable light
on the decisions we make every day and shows what history can teach us
about the art of living.