Agency
The Psychological History of Human Progress
Will be published approx. on 10. September 2026
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-3998-4302-7 (ISBN)
Description
Drawing on six decades of pioneering research and a sweeping reexamination of the last 2500 years-from Periclean Athens and the Hebrew Torah to the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the Civil Rights Movement-Martin Seligman shows how rises and falls in agency have steered the course of history.
Agency is the big idea for our times: when individuals have confidence, optimism and imagination, civilizations leap forward. In their absence, societies stagnate-no matter how rich their resources or how brilliant their citizens.
This remarkable book shows how individuals can act with agency and, with a clear-eyed view of an AI-transformed future, argues that we are entering the next great era of human flourishing.
Agency is the big idea for our times: when individuals have confidence, optimism and imagination, civilizations leap forward. In their absence, societies stagnate-no matter how rich their resources or how brilliant their citizens.
This remarkable book shows how individuals can act with agency and, with a clear-eyed view of an AI-transformed future, argues that we are entering the next great era of human flourishing.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Murray Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
N/A
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-3998-4302-7 (9781399843027)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
approx. 09/2026
John Murray One
€14.99
Not yet available
Person
Martin Seligman, PhD, is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Positive Psychology Center, and former president of the American Psychological Association. He received his BA in philosophy from Princeton University, and his PhD in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and holds ten honorary doctorates. He was named the most influential psychologist in the world by Academic Influence. Along with writing for numerous scholarly publications and appearing in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and many others, he is also the author and coauthor of over thirty books, including Flourish, Authentic Happiness, and Tomorrowmind.