Martha Nussbaum
Martha Nussbaum is an American philosopher, a professor at the University of Chicago and one of the top living philosophers. She is probably best known as a political and ethical thinker. Her background is in Classics and her writing often launches from a deep understanding of thinkers of the past. She has written extensively on Aristotle and other ancient thinkers. With Amartya Sen, she put forward the ‘capabilities approach’ to understanding human welfare, which is a cross-disciplinary approach to what matters to people beyond economic concerns and how that might be measured. Most recently, she’s been focused on the issue of how we should treat other animals.
Books by Martha Nussbaum
Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility
by Martha Nussbaum
Justice for Animals is a very clearly written and persuasive call to action on behalf of non-human animals by American philosopher Martha Nussbaum. After outlining the harm we're doing by using five specific examples (a mother elephant, a humpback whale, a fictional pig, a finch and a stray dog), she writes: "The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation. Pinning guilt is less important than accepting the fact that humanity as a whole has a collective duty to face and solve these problems." The impetus behind writing the book is also very affecting: it's because of her daughter, who was a passionate advocate for animals and died young. In the book, Nussbaum takes a 'capabilities approach' to develop a new theoretical basis for thinking about justice and injustice to animals as she feels "the dominant theories in this area are defective and that mine will direct action better."
Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, and Justice
by Martha Nussbaum
***🏆 A Five Books Book of the Year ***
“Lurking behind it is Seneca: the Roman philosopher who talked about anger being a useless emotion.” Read more...
Nigel Warburton, Philosopher
Interviews where books by Martha Nussbaum were recommended
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1
At The Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails
by Sarah Bakewell -
2
Ethics in the Real World: 90 Brief Essays on Things That Matter
by Peter Singer -
3
The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy
by Anthony Gottlieb -
4
Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, and Justice
by Martha Nussbaum -
5
The Path: A New Way to Think About Everything
by Christine Gross-Loh & Michael Puett
Best Philosophy Books of 2016, recommended by Nigel Warburton
Best Philosophy Books of 2016, recommended by Nigel Warburton
Philosophy raises fundamental questions about the world around us and how we should live our lives. Fortunately, a range of popular books now available mean you too can grapple with some of these issues. Philosopher and author Nigel Warburton picks his favourite philosophy books of 2016.
