"Readable and absorbing...a concentrated essay on a limited but deeply important subject is to be highly valued."---The Guardian (UK)<BR><BR>Kindness is the Foundation of the world's great religions and most-enduring philosophies. Why, then, does being kind feel so dangerous? If we crave kindness with such intensity, why is it often the last pleasure we permit ourselves? And why---despite our longing---are we frequently suspicious when we are on the receiving end of it?<BR><BR>Drawing on intellectual history, literature, psychoanalysis, and contemporary social theory, this brief and essential book will return to its readers what Marcus Aurelius declared was mankind's "greatest delight": the intense satisfactions of generosity and compassion.<BR><BR>"Eloquent...A profound exploration of [kindness]...highly recommended." ---Library Journal<BR><BR>"Employs history, social theory, and psychoanalysis to chart how kindness has become a pejorative word over the years." ---Time.com<BR><BR>"On Kindness wears its erudition lightly and with great grace." ---Booklist<BR><BR>"A true tract for difficult times...If we have all become more self-interested and self-serving, Phillips and Taylor suggest a little more altruism as an antidote to angst and alienation." ---The Times (London)