Martha Nussbaum Books in Order: Complete List with Summaries

What are Martha Nussbaum's major books?

Martha Nussbaum's major books cover several connected areas of philosophy rather than a single subject. She first became widely known for her work on ancient Greek philosophy, especially tragedy, Aristotle and Hellenistic ethics, before developing influential arguments about feminism, human development, emotions, education, political liberalism, global justice and the moral status of animals. Her bibliography therefore shows a movement from questions about the good life and human vulnerability toward broader questions about what political institutions owe to people and other sentient beings.

Among the books most central to her philosophical development are The Fragility of Goodness (1986), The Therapy of Desire (1994), Women and Human Development (2000), Upheavals of Thought (2001), Frontiers of Justice (2006), Creating Capabilities (2011), Political Emotions (2013), Anger and Forgiveness (2016), The Cosmopolitan Tradition (2019), and Justice for Animals (2023). They can be read separately, but reading them together makes it easier to see the continuity in her thinking about dignity, vulnerability, emotion, freedom and flourishing.

How did Nussbaum's thought develop?

Nussbaum's career does not divide neatly into completely separate subjects. Her early studies of Greek tragedy and Hellenistic philosophy already examined questions that later became central to her political philosophy: how vulnerable human beings are to luck, how emotions shape judgment, what people need in order to flourish, and what political communities owe to their members. The Fragility of Goodness examines the dependence of a good human life on circumstances beyond individual control, while The Therapy of Desire studies Hellenistic philosophical schools as traditions that attempted to transform destructive emotions and desires.

From the 1990s onward, these concerns increasingly entered questions of social and political justice. Women and Human Development applies the Capabilities Approach to women's lives, while Upheavals of Thought develops her philosophical theory of emotions. Frontiers of Justice extends the capabilities framework to people with disabilities, global justice and animals. Later books examine how emotions can support democratic societies, how anger and forgiveness should be understood politically, how fear shapes public life, and how justice should be extended to animals. Her bibliography is therefore best understood as a connected body of work rather than a collection of unrelated books.

Where to start

The best Martha Nussbaum book to start with depends on which part of her philosophy interests you most. Readers who want the clearest introduction to her Capabilities Approach should begin with Creating Capabilities. Readers interested in her theory of emotion can begin with Upheavals of Thought, while readers interested in ancient philosophy may prefer The Fragility of Goodness or The Therapy of Desire.

If you want one book that gives the broadest accessible introduction to the framework for which Nussbaum is most famous, Creating Capabilities is a particularly useful starting point. It is shorter and more introductory than some of her major theoretical works, while still explaining the central idea that justice should be concerned with the real opportunities people have to live lives worthy of human dignity.

All major books in order

The following list gives a chronological overview of Nussbaum's major books and shows how her interests developed over time. The list focuses on substantial philosophical and public-facing books rather than every article, lecture, edited collection or contribution she has published.

Publication years follow the first edition; paperback and translated editions often differ. Some of Nussbaum's books also emerged from earlier academic work, lectures or essays, so the chronological order does not necessarily represent a simple progression from one theory to another.

Books by theme

Nussbaum's bibliography can also be understood through a set of recurring philosophical themes. The same concerns often appear in different forms: the good life in her ancient-philosophy scholarship becomes a question of human flourishing; her analysis of vulnerability develops into an account of capabilities and dignity; and her work on emotions becomes relevant to both personal ethics and democratic political life.

• Capabilities and justice: Women and Human Development, Frontiers of Justice, Creating Capabilities. See the Capabilities Approach guide and the Frontiers of Justice summary.
• Emotions: Upheavals of Thought, Hiding from Humanity, Political Emotions, Anger and Forgiveness, The Monarchy of Fear. See Emotions and Anger.
• Ancient philosophy: The Fragility of Goodness, The Therapy of Desire. Related: Aristotle.
• Education: Cultivating Humanity, Not for Profit. See the Not for Profit summary.
• Feminism and social justice: Sex and Social Justice, Women and Human Development, From Disgust to Humanity.
• Religion and pluralism: The New Religious Intolerance, alongside her wider work on political liberalism and religious freedom.
• Global justice: Frontiers of Justice, The Cosmopolitan Tradition. These works connect contemporary justice to the older Stoic idea of cosmopolitanism.
• Animals: Frontiers of Justice, Justice for Animals. See Nussbaum vs Singer.

How do Nussbaum's books connect to one another?

Nussbaum's books are connected by a persistent concern with what human beings need in order to live dignified and flourishing lives. Her early engagement with Aristotle and Greek tragedy investigates the relationship between human flourishing and circumstances outside an individual's control. Later, the Capabilities Approach turns this concern into a political question: instead of judging people only by resources, income or formal rights, political institutions should ask whether people actually have substantial opportunities to exercise important human capabilities.

Her work on emotions develops another part of the same picture. Nussbaum treats emotions not simply as irrational forces that interfere with reason, but as forms of evaluative judgment connected to things and people we consider important. This helps explain why emotions such as compassion, fear, shame and anger can matter politically. Her later work on political emotions, anger, fear and global justice therefore builds on themes that were already present in her earlier ethical and philosophical writings.

Her books on disability, women, education, global justice and animals extend the question of flourishing beyond the traditional image of the fully independent citizen. Frontiers of Justice, in particular, asks what happens when standard theories of justice leave out people who do not fit the model of mutually advantageous, equally capable participants. Justice for Animals then develops the moral concern with flourishing beyond the human species.

What are Martha Nussbaum's most important books?

The Fragility of Goodness

Nussbaum's first major book, The Fragility of Goodness, established her as an important scholar of ancient philosophy. It examines Greek tragedy and philosophy through the problem of vulnerability: even a person who has developed excellent character may depend on relationships, health, political circumstances and other goods that are partly outside their control. The book is especially important for understanding the background to Nussbaum's later interest in human flourishing and the limits of theories that treat the good life as completely self-sufficient.

The Therapy of Desire

The Therapy of Desire examines Hellenistic philosophical traditions, including Stoicism, Epicureanism and Skepticism, as practical approaches to living. Nussbaum presents philosophy as connected to the transformation of destructive emotions and desires rather than as purely abstract intellectual activity. The book is particularly useful for readers interested in the connection between her ancient-philosophy scholarship and her later work on emotion.

Women and Human Development

Women and Human Development is one of the most important books for understanding Nussbaum's feminist application of the Capabilities Approach. It asks what women need in order to have genuine opportunities to live lives of dignity and examines how social structures, legal systems and household arrangements can restrict those opportunities. The book helped develop the capabilities framework as an approach to questions of gender and human development.

Upheavals of Thought

In Upheavals of Thought, Nussbaum develops an influential philosophical account of emotions. She argues that emotions involve judgments about what matters to us and therefore reveal our dependence on people, relationships and external goods. This approach challenges the sharp opposition between reason and emotion and becomes important for her later discussions of compassion, anger, fear and political emotions.

Frontiers of Justice

Frontiers of Justice examines three areas that Nussbaum argues are inadequately handled by traditional social contract theories: disability, nationality and species membership. Rather than beginning with a hypothetical bargain among roughly equal citizens, she grounds justice in the capabilities necessary for a life worthy of human dignity. See our full summary of Frontiers of Justice.

Creating Capabilities

Creating Capabilities is one of the clearest introductions to Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach. It explains the distinction between capabilities and achieved functionings and presents the idea that political societies should secure a threshold level of central capabilities for each person. Because it is comparatively accessible, it is often a useful starting point for readers encountering Nussbaum for the first time. See our guide to the Capabilities Approach.

Political Emotions

Political Emotions asks how democratic societies can cultivate emotions that support political values such as equality, solidarity and concern for others. Nussbaum argues that institutions and public culture cannot rely only on rational principles because citizens are emotional beings. Democratic societies therefore need constructive forms of civic emotion if abstract commitments to justice are to become durable political practices.

Justice for Animals

Justice for Animals develops Nussbaum's concern with animal justice in a more accessible and focused form. Drawing on the Capabilities Approach, she argues that animals should not be regarded merely as resources for human use and that justice should take seriously the characteristic forms of flourishing available to different animals. The book extends her broader concern with dignity and flourishing beyond the human species.

Does Nussbaum have books beyond this core list?

Yes. Nussbaum has written many books, essays and edited collections beyond the core bibliography listed here. Her work includes detailed scholarship on ancient philosophy, constitutional law, feminism, literature, religion, education and contemporary political issues. Some books are more academic and specialized, while others were written for a broader public audience. This page therefore focuses on major authored books that are especially useful for understanding her philosophical development.

Readers should also distinguish between a book's importance to Nussbaum's overall philosophy and its accessibility to a new reader. The Fragility of Goodness, for example, is foundational to her reputation as a scholar of ancient philosophy but is a substantially different reading experience from the more introductory Creating Capabilities. Likewise, Upheavals of Thought provides a much deeper treatment of emotion than the shorter treatments found in some of her later public-facing works.

Frequently asked questions

Which Martha Nussbaum book should I read first?

Creating Capabilities (2011) is one of the most accessible places to begin with Nussbaum's central political philosophy. For emotions, start with Upheavals of Thought; for ancient philosophy, begin with The Fragility of Goodness; and for education, Not for Profit is a concise starting point.

What is Martha Nussbaum's most famous book?

The Fragility of Goodness (1986) was an important early work that established Nussbaum's reputation as a scholar of ancient philosophy. Women and Human Development, Frontiers of Justice and Creating Capabilities are especially central to her later work on the Capabilities Approach and justice.

What is Nussbaum's most important book on the Capabilities Approach?

Women and Human Development (2000) develops the approach in relation to women's lives, Frontiers of Justice (2006) extends it to major problems of justice, and Creating Capabilities (2011) provides a more accessible general introduction.

Which book covers Nussbaum's theory of emotions?

Upheavals of Thought (2001) is her major systematic treatment of emotions. Later books including Political Emotions, Anger and Forgiveness and The Monarchy of Fear apply and develop related ideas in political contexts.

Which Nussbaum book is about animals?

Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility (2023) is her major book focused specifically on animal justice. Her earlier Frontiers of Justice (2006) also contains a major argument for extending justice to nonhuman animals.

Which Nussbaum book is about feminism?

Women and Human Development (2000) is one of her central feminist works, while Sex and Social Justice (1998) addresses broader questions involving gender, sexuality and justice.

Which Nussbaum book is about education?

Cultivating Humanity (1997) examines liberal education and the development of global citizenship, while Not for Profit (2010) argues that the humanities are important for sustaining democratic citizenship.

What is Nussbaum's latest major book?

Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility, published in 2023, is the most recent major book in the chronological list on this page.

How many books has Martha Nussbaum written?

Nussbaum has written numerous books as well as essays, edited volumes and other scholarly works. The list on this page is a selection of her major authored books rather than a complete bibliography of every publication.