The Good Life in a Technological Age [Paperback]

Modern technology has changed the way we live, work, play, communicate, fight, love, and die. Yet few works have systematically explored these changes in light of their implications for individual and social welfare. How can we conceptualize and evaluate the influence of technology on human well-being? Bringing together scholars from a cross-section of disciplines, this volume combines an empirical investigation of technology and its social, psychological, and political effects, and a philosophical analysis and evaluation of the implications of such effects.

Introduction  Adam Briggle, Philip Brey and Edward Spence  Part I: Mapping the Landscape  1. Well-Being in Philosophy, Psychology, and Economics  Philip Brey  2. Theorizing Technology  Carl Mitcham and Adam Briggle  Part II: Theoretical Approaches  3. Quality of Life in Technological Society: A Macrosociological Approach  Ruut Veenhoven  4. Capabilities and Technology  Justine Johnstone  5. Happiness and Meaning in a Technological Age: A Psychological Approach  Michael Steger and Joo Yeon Shin  6. The Ambivalence of the Good Life: Happiness, Economics, Technology, and Relational Goods  Luigino Bruni  7. Desire-Satisfactionism and Technology  Anton Tupa  Part III: Consumer Products and Well-Being  8. Consuming Happiness  Lindsey Patterson and Robert Biswas-Diener  9. Thinking Through Consumerism and Technology  Pak Hang Wong  10. Consumption and Sustainability: A Neo-Epicurean Approach to a Sustainable Good  Life in a Technological World  Edward Spl³Ì