Happiness: Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy / Edition 1

by Steven M. Cahn, Christine Vitrano

Overview

Happiness has long been a focus of attention for philosophers as well as psychologists. This volume, the only collection devoted to the subject from the standpoint of philosophy, offers twenty-seven classic and contemporary readings exploring the nature of happiness. Part I, a survey of the ways happiness has been treated throughout the history of ethics, includes writings by Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Seneca, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Butler, David Hume, Jeremy Bentham, Immanuel Kant, Arthur Schopenhauer, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Part II explores the work of contemporary ethical theorists, including Julia Annas, John Kekes, Richard Kraut, Robert Nozick, and Richard Taylor. The book also includes an introduction by psychologist Daniel Nettle, headnotes for each selection, and essays by the editors. Ideal for ethics courses, Happiness: Classic and Contemporary Readings can also be used in courses in introductory philosophy and positive psychology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195321401
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/16/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	289
Product dimensions:	6.59(w) x 9.14(h) x 0.52(d)

About the Author

The City University of New York Graduate Center

The City College of New York

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroduction, Daniel NettlePART ONE. HISTORICAL SOURCESPlato, The Republic (selections)Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics (selections)Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus; Leading DoctrinesSeneca, On the Happy Life (selections)Augustine, The Happy Life (selections)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles (selections)Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (selections)Joseph Butler, Upon the Love of Our NeighborDavid Hume, The ScepticJeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (selections)Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (selections); Critique of Pure Reason (selections)Arthur Schopenhauer, On the Variety and Suffering of Life (selections)John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (selections)Henry Sidgwick, Happiness and DutyFriedrich Nietzsche, On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life (selections)Jean-Paul Sartre, ForlornnessPART II. CONTEMPORARY THEORIESA. Happiness as PleasureWayne Davis, Pleasure and HappinessDaniel Haybron, Why Hedonism Is FalseB. Happiness as SatisfactionJohn Kekes, Attitudinal and Episodic HappinessWladyslaw Tatarkiewicz, Happiness and TimeC. Happiness as More Than SatisfactionRichard Kraut, Two Conceptions of HappinessRichard Taylor, Virtue EthicsRobert Nozick, The Experience MachineJulia Annas, Happiness as AchievementD. Happiness and VirtueJulia Annas, Virtue and EudaimonismSteven M. Cahn and Jeffrie G. Murphy, Happiness and ImmoralityChristine Vitrano, Happiness and Morality

Editorial Reviews

"This is an excellent and comprehensive collection of classic and contemporary sources on happiness. It covers a number of central questions: How should we define happiness? How can we attain happiness? What role does it play in human existence? and What is the relation between happiness and morality? The collection would work well in a wide range of undergraduate philosophy courses."—Jeffrey Flynn, Middlebury College

"A strength of the volume is the fantastic historical selections the coeditors have chosen. In terms of the history of philosophical and theological thinking about happiness in the West, the editors have picked excellent, provocative, and thoughtful selections."—Sandra L. Shapshay, Indiana University, Bloomington

"A very timely and important contribution for college and university philosophy instructors."—David Elliott, University of Regina

From the Publisher