Ancient Ethics and Liberal Education

Nussbaum's early scholarship examined Aristotle and Hellenistic ethics, including vulnerability, luck, pleasure, death, and the role of emotions in a good life. The Fragility of Goodness and The Therapy of Desire are central works in this strand of her career.

She also argues that literature, philosophy, and the humanities cultivate capacities needed by democratic citizens. Cultivating Humanity and Not for Profit connect classical inquiry with cosmopolitan education and public reasoning.