William Davies begins his work by analyzing the philosophy of 19th century Utilitarian theorist Jeremy Bentham, who famously asserted that humanity can objectively determine ethical decisions by measuring the pleasure or pain that results as a consequence.

This begins the rise of what Davies regards as "The Anti-Philosophical Agnosticism" in the psychological community, wherein happiness as a concept is warped from being a personal subjective experience to an objective quantifiable phenomenon.

This "Anti-Philosophical Agnosticism" is further reflected in the works of economist William Stanley Jevons, behaviorist John Watson, and The Chicago School of Economics.

The promotion of this psychological perspective is leading to greater amounts of mental health problems, alienation and manipulation by political and economic elites.

Davies warns that the continued expansion of mass surveillance, targeted advertising and psychological profiling is leading to a society in which individuals' emotions are constantly being manipulated by state and corporate forces to be politically docile and economically efficient.