Summary: If modern life is so great -- with advances in technology and other advantages that earlier generations did not enjoy -- why has living in rich, urban and industrial societies proven to be less satisfying than expected? Peter N. Stearns, professor and provost at George Mason University, asks why, if we live in a society of progress and abundance, are there more cases of depression and discontentment? Perspectives on modernity and finding the right balance between expectations and reality, with the author of “Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society.”
