List Price: $12.00 Details

Save: $1.18 (10%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Friday, February 10 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

[{"displayPrice":"$10.82","priceAmount":10.82,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"82","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"I6WAXOQcHuKRSCQaV4ZIH%2F3ed0wuMnaiQ8nXEAsnZDQuosQnlLscIsyrgYDuFwZkXlHvIuyMMQRvpXTgcIW8d6IAf%2BJFEa50DAeq5O0Z%2BAI6F05AmLmYQVyV10DI3qCEHvqyvS0UkoLKb31%2BJsB2Nc%2BEfDEmjPDtKTMgd%2B4xiFbxu%2B6LFyObNZTiA5K0JKxL","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$1.43","priceAmount":1.43,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"1","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"43","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"xMdhs0jlvm2iJQ69r4IFsvVHWeIDaKqKXxnCiz%2FtnmrOzXjTa16r7aKyfPFMqrkPMTxDno3vwqkbL09B%2BKMS4LNyriSBHv2UCHqz1shpjt44ZiLD1vkH%2B%2FcfxSQI6SM5GTeeebdCRgZWqQlT1FFtVnv%2BH%2FRS65ILIcrc6B%2FhNOePe0shl6JpYv15JMup1PU2","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$10.82 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

Buy AM

Details

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

Buy AM

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$3.98 delivery February 14 - 15. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by glenthebookseller

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$11.39
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Amazon.com

Added

Not added

$10.80
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: TextbookX

Added

Not added

$12.51
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: MegaBook Co

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Charles Murray

In Pursuit: Of Happiness and Good Government Paperback – February 28, 2013

by Charles Murray (Author)

23 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$8.99

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$10.98

$31.04

$4.42

Paperback

"Please retry"

$10.82

$4.99

$1.43

Kindle
$8.99 Read with Our Free App
Hardcover
$10.98

38 Used from $4.42 5 New from $31.04 1 Collectible from $40.00
Paperback
$10.82

26 Used from $1.43 28 New from $4.99

Enhance your purchase

Respected author, scholar, and columnist Charles Murray has long challenged accepted notions of public and social policy issues. In this volume, originally published in 1988, Murray presents a persuasive and practical argument that reconsiders commonly held beliefs of what constitutes success in social policy by examining the scope of government and its role in people’s pursuit of happiness.

In Pursuit: Of Happiness and Good Government begins by examining James Madison’s statement: “A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the object of government, which is the happiness of the people; secondly, a knowledge of the means by which that object can best be attained.” Murray exhibits a thoughtful, accessible writing style as he considers such basic, important questions as whether individual efforts or government reform should be responsible for dealing with society’s problems. Drawing from his minimalist-government viewpoint, Murray proposes that government not try to force happiness on the people with federal policies or programs but, rather, that it provide conditions that enable people to pursue happiness on their own.

Murray also proposes that the pursuit of happiness be used as a framework for analyzing the efficacy of public policy, and he comes to the conclusion that Jeffersonian democracy is still the best way to run society, even today’s complex society.

Charles Murray is the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He has written numerous books, including Coming Apart, Losing Ground, Real Education, and Human Accomplishment. He is perhaps best known for coauthoring the 1994 New York Times bestseller The Bell Curve with the late Richard J. Herrnstein.

Print length

324 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Amagi
Publication date

February 28, 2013
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

6.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
ISBN-10

0865978433
ISBN-13

978-0865978430
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

by Charles Murray Paperback
$10.82
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Buy AM and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Get it as soon as Friday, Feb 10
by Charles Murray Paperback
$16.95
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Friday, Feb 10
by Charles Murray Paperback
$19.99
Only 15 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Thursday, Feb 9

Richard J. Herrnstein
1,464
Paperback
120 offers from $2.33

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amagi; Illustrated edition (February 28, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865978433
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865978430
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,493 in Social Services & Welfare (Books)
- #4,142 in Political Philosophy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
23 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Charles Murray

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Charles Murray is a political scientist, author, and libertarian. He first came to national attention in 1984 with the publication of "Losing Ground," which has been credited as the intellectual foundation for the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. His 1994 New York Times bestseller, "The Bell Curve" (Free Press, 1994), coauthored with the late Richard J. Herrnstein, sparked heated controversy for its analysis of the role of IQ in shaping America's class structure. Murray's other books include "What It Means to Be a Libertarian" (1997), "Human Accomplishment" (2003), "In Our Hands" (2006), and "Real Education" (2008). His 2012 book, "Coming Apart" (Crown Forum, 2012), describes an unprecedented divergence in American classes over the last half century. His most recent book is "By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission" (Crown Forum, 2015).

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

23 global ratings

5 star		71%
4 star		11%
3 star		11%
2 star		7%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Scott Brody

Understanding the founding fathers' ideal government, and why/how we are straying far from that ideal to our own detriment.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is a must for getting a better understanding of how far off our government is moving from the way it was intended to be by the founding fathers, and why the fathers had very good reasons for their ideas about how government should be. I liked it because it is helping me to understand the underlying ideas of government, a topic that is important to my personal politcal awakening. Also I really liked that it deals somewhat with human nature and psychology, incidentally providing important insight about how to live a good life as an individual that is part of a group (as we all are).

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kelly J. Wilson

Great book and well written!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 21, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book is brilliantly written and presented. It is one of those books you get so involved in you almost forget the time and how long you've been reading. I know some people would disagree with the author, but honestly after reading this book I don't see how they could support a counter viewpoint successfully. Even if doubtful, you should give this book a chance it'll make you more knowledgeable in any case.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

G Gezz

This book presents an alternative and potentially more successful basis ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book presents an alternative and potentially more successful basis for public policy - modesty - and a return to the fundamentals proposed by our founding fathers which were so successful until the last 60 years.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Thomas F. Worthy

Great!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 20, 2014

Verified Purchase

Arrived on time and in great condition. Hope to finish it before Obama destroys economy completely!
Impeachment time~! Write your Congressman/woman . . . enough of the tyrant is enough!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Richard J. Shokite Jr.

AWKWARDLY WRITTEN

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

Awkwardly written. Too detailed where the reader cannot see the forest for the trees. Written by an intellectual in the worst sense of the word.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Ghadenfer