The world has become increasingly separated into the haves and have-nots. In The Culture of Contentment, renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith shows how a contented class—not the privileged few but the socially and economically advantaged majority—defend their comfortable status at a cost. Middle-class voting against regulation and increased taxation that would remedy pressing social ills has created a culture of immediate gratification, leading to complacency and hampering long-term progress. Only economic disaster, military action, or the eruption of an angry underclass seem capable of changing the status quo. A groundbreaking critique, The Culture of Contentment shows how the complacent majority captures the political process and determines economic policy.

To be content is to be happy and satisfied. In the Bible, contentment also means to be at peace and at rest. The apostle Paul told the church in Philippi that he had learned how to be content in any situation. He also told Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain. There are many reasons why people are not content. We tend to strive after things, we get anxious, depressed, or dissatisfied. And sometimes we suffer physical or emotional pain from tragic circumstances. We are also subject to many messages which tell us there are things we ought to have, to do, or to be. Learning how to be content is an important part of being what God wants us to be. The Art of Contentment was first published in 1675. The author is anonymous. Because of its value, and because the original Old English is hard to read, Robert H. Klima has rewritten the work in modern English. The development of the skill of gaining contentment is the purpose of the book. Here are the secrets of happiness, satisfaction, and peace.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1841.

A hybrid in both content and style, Paranoia and Contentment is a bold and original investigation into Western intellectual history.