Does happiness come from the pursuit of pleasure or moral virtue? A vivid new translation of Cicero’s exploration of a timeless question
“Of course, we all want to be happy.” So wrote the Roman statesman, orator, and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero. He and his fellow Greek and Roman philosophers agreed that the secret to happiness—or what they called the “good life”—is pursuing the “greatest good.” The only problem is that they couldn’t agree on what the greatest good is. Cicero addressed this dilemma by composing a set of dialogues, On the Greatest Good and Evil (De finibus bonorum et malorum), in which he pitted advocates of different philosophical approaches to happiness against one another. Notably, these include the Epicureans (who believe that the greatest good is pleasure) and the Stoics (according to whom it is moral virtue). Rather than choosing sides, Cicero considers the pros and cons of the different philosophies, ultimately leaving it to his readers to make up their own minds. In How to Find Happiness, Katharina Volk offers a vivid new translation of selections from Cicero’s work, complete with an introduction and the original Latin text on facing pages. The result is a lively and engaging debate that invites each of us to discover our own path to happiness.
eBook - ePub
How to Find Happiness
An Ancient Guide to the Good Life
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Topic
PhilosophySubtopic
Ancient & Classical PhilosophyTable of contents
- Cover
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Introduction
- On the Greatest Good and Evil
- De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum
- Book 1. The Allure of Epicureanism (English)
- Book 1. The Allure of Epicureanism (Latin)
- Book 2. The Problems with Pleasure (English)
- Book 2. The Problems with Pleasure (Latin)
- Book 3. The Virtues of Stoicism (English)
- Book 3. The Virtues of Stoicism (Latin)
- Book 4. The Limits of a Stoic Life (English)
- Book 4. The Limits of a Stoic Life (Latin)
- Notes
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Yes, you can access How to Find Happiness by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Katharina Volk in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Ancient & Classical Philosophy. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.