Events Detail

ARTIFICIAL HAPPINESS

THE DARK SIDE OF THE NEW HAPPY CLASS
(CARROLL & GRAF, 2006, $24.95)

BY

RONALD W. DWORKIN, M.D., PH.D.
SENIOR FELLOW, HUDSON INSTITUTE

Tuesday, June 20, 2006
5:00 P.M. Registration
5:15 P.M. Remarks by Author
6:15 P.M. Reception

In his intriguing new book, Dr. Ronald Dworkin, anesthesiologist and senior fellow at Hudson Institute, reveals a startling dark side to the staggering rise in antidepressant prescriptions, alternative medicine, and obsessive exercise regimens over the past forty years – a revolution that is transforming the face of America. Dworkin shows how the politics of healthcare and medical ethics, combined with momentous changes in popular culture, have dramatically altered the relationship between doctor and patient, sown discord within the medical profession, and pitted doctors against clergy, all in the march towards a universal “Artificial Happiness.”

Of this highly thoughtful and original book, Francis Fukuyama says: “Ronald Dworkin points out in this excellent study [that] anti-depressant drugs like Prozac and Wellbutrin raise … profound questions about the damage we may be doing to our souls. The ends and meaning of life are what is truly at stake in our quest to find happiness in a bottle.” And The Weekly Standard calls Artificial Happiness “a provocative and well-written book with many edifying excursions into medical history, sociology, and religion.”

Books available for purchase and signing

To RSVP, please email name and affiliation to RSVP@hudson.org or call 202-974-2400.

Betsy and Walter Stern Conference Center, Hudson Institute, 1015 15th St., NW, 6th Floor, Washington, D.C.