We the People

The Founders, the Pursuit of Happiness, and the Virtuous Life

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Jeffrey Rosen talks about his new book, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America, followed by a panel discussion on the influence of classical writers and thinkers on the founding generation. Panelists include University of Chicago Professor Eric Slauter, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George Will; and Melody Barnes, executive director of UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy. This program was recorded live on February 9, 2024.  

Resources: 

  • Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America (2024) 
  • Cicero, The Tusculan Disputations  
  • Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics  
  • Melody Barnes, et al, ed., Community Wealth Building and the Reconstruction of American Democracy (2020) 
  • Karsh Institute of Democracy, University of Virginia   
  • Eric Slauter, The State as a Work of Art: The Cultural Origins of the Constitution (2009) 
  • Thomas Jefferson’s Recommended Reading  
  • George Will, Statecraft as Soulcraft: What Government Does (1984) 
  • George Will, The Conservative Sensibility (2019) 



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