For centuries, philosophers, theologians, moralists, and ordinary people have asked: How should we live? What makes for a good life? In The Best Things in Life, distinguished philosopher Thomas Hurka takes a fresh look at these perennial questions as they arise for us now in the 21st century.

Chapter 1: Introduction ; Chapter 2: Feeling Good ; Chapter 3: Knowing What's What ; Chapter 4: Achieving Goals ; Chapter 5: Being Good ; Chapter 6: Loving and Being Loved ; Chapter 7: Putting it Together

this book makes you work, be self-reflective, and actually do philosophy. It helps you hone these important life skills. Thomas Hurka presents dense philosophical themes with clear diction and offers interesting examples that are not bogged down with technical jargon or require specialized knowledge. Overall, this text is a welcomed addition to the scholarship and practice of teaching contemplation-in-action, and I recommend it with enthusiasm.

"The book is filled with common sense and practical wisdom. As a practical 'guide to what really matters' for general readers and philosophers alike, it is a worthy modern representative of a tradition of ethical writing that goes back to Aristotle's own guide to what really matters, written for his son Nicoachus. From my point of view, that is high praise indeed."--Robert Kane, Ethics "A stimulating read and a great way to get you focused on the right things at the beginning of the year."--Fareed Zakaria, CNN "Thomas Hurka's The Best Things in Life is that rare thing: a philosophical work written with such simplicity and verve that it will engage beginning students, but with enough subtlety and sophistication that it will also reward careful study by specialists. An important contribution to ethics."--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "Most of us know the main sorts of things that can make a life worth living: happiness and pleasure, friendship and love, accomplishment, knowledge, and virtue. But few of us could probably say very much about just what these things really are, and what, exactly, makes them so valuable. That's where Tom Hurka comes in. The Best Things in Life provides an original and fascinating philosophical guide to some of life's most important questions. For the most part, of course, it's not exactly a practical guide-it won't tell you how to find love, or how to be virtuous or successful. But it will give you a far better sense of what you should be looking for, and why."--Shelly Kagan, Yale University "this book makes you work, be self-reflective, and actually do philosophy. It helps you hone these important life skills. Thomas Hurka presents dense philosophical themes with clear diction and offers interesting examples that are not bogged down with technical jargon or require specialized knowledge. Overall, this text is a welcomed addition to the scholarship and practice of teaching contemplation-in-action, and I recommend it with enthusiasm." --Philosophical Practice

Selling point: An engaging, accessible survey of the different things that can make life worth living: pleasure, knowledge, achievement, virtue, love, and more. Selling point: Philosophically sophisticated but written in lively prose, the book addresses issues of interest to everyone. Selling point: While informed by the classic texts of philosophy, the book is written for a non-academic reader and addresses its topic as it arises for us in the 21st century.

Selling point: An engaging, accessible survey of the different things that can make life worth living: pleasure, knowledge, achievement, virtue, love, and more. Selling point: Philosophically sophisticated but written in lively prose, the book addresses issues of interest to everyone. Selling point: While informed by the classic texts of philosophy, the book is written for a non-academic reader and addresses its topic as it arises for us in the 21st century.