We've only been bored for the last 245 years

Lars Svendsen's A Philosophy of Boredom is a good, solid practical work of philosophy, in the tradition of Aristotle's Ethics. He has a light touch and a playful attitude, and draws on a wide range of texts, from Heidegger and Beckett to Iggy Pop and the Pet Shop Boys. I was fascinated to learn that boredom was invented in 1760; the word is not found in English prior to this, though related concepts such as melancholy and acedia did exist. Read on.