LIFE, LIBERTY, and HAPPINESS
An Optimist Manifesto
By Frank S. Robinson
Published by Prometheus Books; 330 pages, hardcover; $29.00;
Shipping & handling $3.50 in USA or $2.50 if payment by cash or check; Paypal & Visa/MC accepted; order from Frank S. Robinson, Box 3040, Albany, NY 12203, 518-482-2639, frank@fsrcoin.com (alternate: fr@albany.net)
WINNER of the SPOONER AWARD for advancing the literature of liberty
There's no shortage of gloom-and-doom viewpoints about humanity: focusing on violence and war, environmental profligacy, economic and social injustice, etc. This book is an antidote to such poisonous pessimism. Here you will find some radical and refreshing assertions: that most people are fundamentally good, that human society is getting better all the time, and that, in the big picture, we are embarked toward a long and bright future.
What started as one father's effort to give his daughter an intellectual legacy, combating much conventional wisdom, grew to comprehensively cover and tie together the big philosophical, political, social and economic issues. Writing in a highly readable and entertaining style, Robinson steadfastly emphasizes reason as our best tool for discovering truth and making decisions. It is through this consistently rational approach to life that he argues for a positive humanistic vision, based on people being left free to pursue their dreams, and respecting each other's rights. The book celebrates the human character and achievement, and America's ideals of liberty and opportunity. It doesn't just make bland pronouncements, but rather tackles in depth the key issues of how to live and be a good person, and how individuals relate to society, applying this perspective to the broad range of social and economic problems. The unifying theme is freedom as the key to understanding our own lives and happiness, and to making a better world for all.
This is a book that will change how you think.
A FEW COMMENTS:
"My friend, you have nailed it ... You HAVE advanced
the literature of liberty."
-- Chris Derry, President, Bluegrass Institute.
"Delightful ... I'd like to order a dozen more copies." -- Q. David Bowers, former President, American Numismatic Association
"It's really, really good ... You really have a great thing here!" -- Bill Bortis
"Truly great!" -- Samara Choit
"I love this book." -- Jeffrey Cook
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book ... an impressive work." -- Dennis Wentraub, 2nd Vice Pres., Smith Barney
"Thoughtful and thought-provoking ... there are a lot of people in this world who would benefit from reading it." -- Russell Dunn
"Wonderful and interesting book ... you created a book of interest to everyone." -- Bobbi Sherman, poet
"A profound book about life." -- Kristina Krawchuk, TV News Anchor
"Thought provoking." -- Senator John McCain
"William of Ockham would undoubtedly be pleased to recognize you as a skilful wielder of his razor. You cut to the chase . . . " -- Marvin Small
Here is a rundown of the book's contents:
THE MEANING OF LIFE: Our freedom to make of our lives what we choose
REASON, SCIENCE AND HUMAN VALUES: The roots of our basic moral ideas
LIVING A GOOD LIFE: How to reconcile the claims of the self with doing good for others
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE: How a positive attitude helps us find meaning in our lives
SATISFACTION: Seeing the glass not as half empty, but as more than half full
CONSCIOUSNESS, THOUGHT AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: Why we really do have free will
ALWAYS QUESTION: How to see when the Emperor has no clothes
RELATIVISM AND NONJUDGMENTALISM: Intellectual exploration; tolerance; the problem of evil
THE MYSTERY OF CREATION: and how understanding it may be possible
FREEDOM FROM FEAR: Why the world is not as scary as we think
LOVE, MARRIAGE, AND SEX: all you'd ever want to know on these subjects (yeah, right)
POLITICAL VOCABULARY: How to understand the words we fling around
THE SOCIAL CONTRACT: The basis of all politics: how we give up some freedom to get more in return
INDIVIDUALISM AND SOCIETY: Why the two are not at odds
GOVERNMENT IS THE PROBLEM: Why it often doesn't meet true human needs
THE FORCED MARCH TO PARADISE: Why we shouldn't seek societal improvement by means of coercion and confiscation
THE ERA OF BIG GOVERNMENT: And why it's a problem
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TRULY NEEDY? How to best help the disadvantaged in a free economy
WRONGFUL RIGHTS: How rights given to some people undermine those of everyone else
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: Why America-haters are so wrong
THE MORALITY OF FREE MARKET CAPITALISM: And why it produces a better society, too
GLOBALIZATION AND WORLD POVERTY: It's not about dividing up the economic pie, but rather, enlarging it for everyone
WHY CORPORATIONS ARE NOT TOTALLY EVIL SCUM: in fact, they give us huge benefits
TERRITORIALITY AND TRIBALISM: We are all brothers (and increasingly act like it)
WHY THE GLOOM AND DOOM CROWD IS WRONG: and why the future is actually rosy
MAN, TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE: How we use knowledge to advance human values
HISTORY AND ITS LESSONS: as Faulkner said, the past is not dead; it's not even past.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Why advocates of political correctness should be allowed their say, and then shot
RACE: A white man tells blacks what to think
PRO-LIFE AND PRO-CHOICE: Why the absolutists on both sides are wrong
ANIMAL RIGHTS: The difficult moral issues
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Balancing societal and individual rights
HOMOSEXUALITY: Applying the "live and let live" philosophy
THE WAR WITH ISLAMIC EXTREMISM: What it's really about, and how we'll win
CODA: pulling it all together, the big picture, and ending on a high note
IF YOU LIKE THE BOOK, PLEASE:
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along to your friends
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-- Link to my website, http://www.fsrcoin.com
Frank S. Robinson is a graduate of NYU Law School and served for twenty years as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York Public Service Commission before leaving in 1997 to concentrate on his business selling world and ancient coins (if you're interested in coins, please click here). He lives in Albany, NY, with his poet wife Therese Broderick, their daughter Elizabeth, and her menagerie of pets. His other books include a study of Albany's political machine, a fantasy novel, and a coin collecting guide.
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