The Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics (Martin Classical Lectures) (Princeton Classics, 33) - Softcover

Nussbaum, Martha C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691141312 ISBN 13: 9780691141312

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2009

Synopsis

The Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics practiced philosophy not as a detached intellectual discipline but as a worldly art of grappling with issues of daily and urgent human significance. In this classic work, Martha Nussbaum maintains that these Hellenistic schools have been unjustly neglected in recent philosophic accounts of what the classical "tradition" has to offer. By examining texts of philosophers such as Epicurus, Lucretius, and Seneca, she recovers a valuable source for current moral and political thought and encourages us to reconsider philosophical argument as a technique through which to improve lives. Written for general readers and specialists, The Therapy of Desire addresses compelling issues ranging from the psychology of human passion through rhetoric to the role of philosophy in public and private life.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Filled with many beautifully written and powerful passages, this book will provoke lively discussion among specialists and show nonspecialists how much there is to be gained from a serious study of this period."--Brad Inwood, University of Toronto

About the Author:

Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the Law School and in the Philosophy Department at the University of Chicago. She is the author of many books, including Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities (Princeton).

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0691141312
• ISBN 13: 9780691141312
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 584