ABSTRACT
The view that happiness can be attained through a life of virtue originates with the ancient Greek and Roman ethicists, but this idea has also had a very strong influence on the way many contemporary philosophers think about happiness. To fully appreciate why virtue is so important to the ancient ethicists, people must first look at what they were trying to do, for their approach to ethics is quite different from the way they conceive of morality today. Although the ancient ethicists differ on the precise connection between virtue and happiness, they agree that being virtuous is a necessary component of a happy life. Plato is the best-known and most influential ancient Greek philosopher. Plato wrote in dialogue form, and most of his dialogues feature his teacher Socrates as the main interlocutor. Stoicism was founded by Zeno during the Hellenistic period, though only fragments of his work or those of his immediate predecessors survive.
