This is a fascinating study of Epicurus, also containing a valuable account of Epicureanism in the early modern period, and it is an important document in the history of Epicureanism in its own right. Guyau is himself an unjustly neglected philosopher, making this volume doubly welcome. * John Sellars, Reader in Philosophy, Royal Holloway University of London, UK * Once compulsory reading for Tolstoy, Nietzsche, and Bergson, Guyaus study is three books in one: a masterful introduction to Epicureanism, a modern history of the philosophy since Hobbes and Spinoza, and a passionate defense of its utility as a guide to social and ethical conduct today. This translation will reestablish Guyaus reputation as one of the great intellects and influencers of the late nineteenth century. * James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor of Rhetoric and Classics, University of California, Berkeley, USA * This is a beautiful translation of a game-changing classic in Epicurean scholarship. A work of philosophy in its own right, Guyau exquisitely captures the illusive nature of an ethics of the whole of life and reveals its uniquely emancipatory potential. Finally, English readers can discover the magic of Guyaus prose that influenced many of the greatest thinkers of 19th materialism! * Thomas Nail, Professor of Philosophy, University of Denver, USA *
