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Document Details : Title: Discourses and Happiness Subtitle: A Reading of Descartes and Nietzsche Author(s): WIENAND, Isabelle Journal: Ethical Perspectives Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Date: March 2009 Pages: 103-128 DOI: 10.2143/EP.16.1.2036280 Abstract : This paper attempts to shed light on the content of the concept of happiness. I suggest that we reconsider Kant’s claim, according to which happiness is not a philosophical concept containing any intrinsic moral relevance, by reading a selection of Descartes’ and Nietzsche’s philosophical writings about happiness. I argue that both accounts are worth exploring inasmuch as they view happiness as a crucial philosophical issue and also point at less well-known correspondences in modern discourses on happiness. The paper is structured in three main parts. Part I focuses on Descartes’ account of happiness, and part II on Nietzsche’s. In Part III, I discuss the results of both analyses and suggest hypotheses about the possible content of happiness. |
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