by Michael Flocker
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Product Description
In the age of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and countless other self-help disciplinarians, indulging in any kind of pleasurable pastime is on the brink of extinction. But it's not too late to revive those lost pleasures that make life worth living. The Hedonism Handbook can help put the three-martini lunch, the baguette with real butter, the deep tan, the unfiltered cigarette, or the simple act of lying in a hammock under the stars back within our grasp. A tongue-in-cheek, satirical guide to the "good" life, The Hedonism Handbook will help us reclaim it all.With his characteristic wit, author Michael Flocker combines humorous reviews of historical excesses, suggestions for everyday indulgences, lists of hedonistic icons with famous quotes and earnest warnings about the perils of structured living. Made up of ten worldly wise chapters arranged to form a journey for the reader-a path from the straight-and-narrow into wide-open fields of frivolity-The Hedonism Handbook will help readers master the lost arts of leisure and pleasure. It provides an entertaining, yet (if you're not careful), life-changing read.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Hedonism Handbook, 2008-11-06
An entertaining read containing a lot of very funny material but,on another level,a lot of good advice for maximizing the quality and quantity of pleasure we can draw into our life.A great gift for friends who need reminding to stop and smell the flowers.Abook to keep on the bedside table!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 historical trivia, amusing observations, 2008-10-29
It might be "eye-opening" and "life-changing" to a newly sprung, life-long religious cult member, but I didn't encounter much in this book I wasn't already aware of.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Axiology For Fun, 2008-04-09
Perfect timing. The word "hedonism" has become a pejorative, despite the axiom of hedonism being self-evident: Pursue the most-pleasant, avoid the least-pleasant (pleasure/pain). Without diving into the philosophical underpinnings from Epicurus, Hume, Smith, Hilliard, etc., this charming book uses "case" examples, "stereotypes" if you will, to illustrate how a disciple of Epicurus would approach hedonism, often eudaimonistically, occasionally utilitarian, but without all the technical language. It's a fun book for taking a very serious subject and appreciating it through many different lenses.
Of course, the notion that pleasure is biologically normal and pleasant may strike some Victorians and Puritans as contrary to the gods' creeds. But the pleasant is not only our natural endowment, and our motivation in making practical choices, but it is tempered with reason, such that the pleasant is not synonymous with the "hedonic treadmill." Religious fanatics will find many reasons to avoid this book, the most obvious being it exposes their lies.
The author avoids technical jargon, preferring humor and anecdotes, which is why the book is both fun and didactic. And while not explicit, we also choose for reasons above and beyond the "most pleasant," including for the sake of "excellence" and "utility." But, even excellence and utility are grounded in the axiom of hedonism. We always choose what seems to us the most pleasant. And discovering that our initial "choice" was not perhaps an "excellent" or "useful" choice is part of the book's charms.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A few well-worded platitudes , 2007-11-20
I found this book easy to read, but didn't find many insights in it. Although clear, the style was more flip than witty. The book design is attractive, but I appreciate larger type more than wide margins. I bought it for one cent (plus $3.99 shipping and handling) and agree that the price was fair.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Properly Balanced..., 2007-11-08
Properly balanced with healthy lifestlyes and responsibilities, pure hedonistic pleasures have the potential to add many great personal experiences in life. Excluding any illegal activities, I highly recommended exploring many pleasureable activities covered in this book.
It takes an open mind to clear negative overtones associated with the "hedonistic" concept from Greece. I feel the pure form has wonderful opportunities when properly practiced - balanced with all responsibilities.
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