The Pursuit of Human Well-Being: The Untold Global History

This handbook informs the reader about how much progress we, the human race, have made in enhancing the quality of life on this planet. Many skeptics focus on how the quality of life has deteriorated over the course of human history, particularly given World War II and its aftermath. This handbook provides a positive perspective on the history of well-being. Quality of life, as documented by scientists worldwide, has significantly improved. Nevertheless, one sees more improvements in well-being in some regions of the world than in others. Why? This handbook documents the progress of well-being in the various world regions as well as the differences in those regions. The broad questions that the handbook addresses include:  What does well-being mean?  How do different philosophical and religious traditions interpret the concept of well-being within their own context Has well-being remained the same over different historical epochs and for different regions and subregions of the world? In which areas of human development have we been most successful in advancing individual and collective well-being? In which sectors has the attainment of well-being proven most difficult? How does well-being differ within and between different populations groups that, for a variety of socially created reasons, have been the most disadvantaged (e.g., children, the aged, women, the poor, racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities)?

Foreword; Harry Halloran -- Part I. Historical Conceptions of Well-Being over the Long Term.- Chapter 1. The Search for Well-Being: From Ancient to Modern Times; Richard J. Estes.- Chapter 2. Western Historical Traditions of Well-Being; Alex C. Michalos and Dan Weijer. Chapter 3. East Asian Historical Traditions of Well-Being; Shawn Arthur and Victor Mair.- Chapter 4. Well-Being in India: A Historical and Anthropological Report; Isabelle Clark-Deces and Frederick M. Smith.- Chapter 5. Islamic Conceptions of Well-Being; Mohsen Joshanloo -- Part II. Domains of Well-Being.- Chapter 6. How We Measure Well-Being: The Data Behind the History of Well-Being; M. Joseph Sirgy, Richard J. Estes and Audrey N. Selian.- Part III. Regional Analyses of the History and Contemporary State of Well-Being Since World War II. Chapter 7. New Beginnings in an Ancient Region; Valerie Møller and Benjamin Roberts -- Chapter 8. Well-Being in Latin America; Mariano Rojas and José de Jesús García Vega -- Chapter 9. Well-Being in Canada and the United States;   Richard J. Estes, Alex C. Michalos, Rhonda Phillips, Kenneth Land and M. Joseph Sirgy -- Chapter 10. The History of Well-Being in East Asia: From Global Conflict to Global Leadership; Takashi Inoguchi and Richard J, Estes -- Chapter 11. The History of Well-Being in South Asia; Vijay Kumar Shrotryia and Krishna Mazumdar -- Chapter 12. The History of Well-Being in Southeast Asia; Mahar Mangahas and Edilberto C. de Jesus -- Chapter 13. The History of Well-Being in Europe; Wolfgang Glatzer and Jürgen Kohl -- Chapter 14. The History of Well-Being in Oceania; Robert Cummins and Tanja Capic -- Chapter 15. Well-Being in the Transition Economies of the Successor States of the Former Soviet Union: The Challenges of Change; Carol Graham and Aurite Werman -- Chapter 17. The History of Well-Being in the Middle East and North Africa; Habib Tiliouine and Mohammed Meziane -- Part IV. Special Issues Related to the Well-Being of Nations and Population Groups -- Chapter 18. History of Well-Being and Global Progress of Women; Elizabeth Eckermann.- Chapter 19. The Role of Technology in the History of Well-Being; Audrey N. Selian and Lee McKnight -- PartT V: Epilogue -- Chapter 18. The History of Well-Being in Global Perspective; Richard J. Estes and M. Joseph Sirgy.