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.