Happiness Classic and Contemporary Readings in Philosophy

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.

Preface; Daniel Nettle: Introduction; PART ONE. HISTORICAL SOURCES; Plato, The Republic (selections); Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics (selections); Letter to Menoeceus; Leading Doctrines: Epicurus; Seneca, 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 Neighbor; David Hume, The Sceptic; Jeremy 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 Duty; Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life (selections); Jean-Paul Sartre, Forlornness; PART II. CONTEMPORARY THEORIES; A. Happiness as Pleasure; Wayne Davis, Pleasure and Happiness; Daniel Haybron, Why Hedonism Is False; B. Happiness as Satisfaction; John Kekes, Attitudinal and Episodic Happiness; Wladyslaw Tatarkiewicz, Happiness and Time; C. Happiness as More Than Satisfaction; Richard Kraut, Two Conceptions of Happiness; Richard Taylor, Virtue Ethics; Robert Nozick, The Experience Machine; Julia Annas, Happiness as Achievement; D. Happiness and Virtue; Julia Annas, Virtue and Eudaimonism; Steven M. Cahn and Jeffrie G. Murphy, Happiness and Immorality; Christine Vitrano, Happiness and Morality