In its fine exploration of different kinds or aspects of sadness—grief, heartbreak, nostalgia—this remarkable collection sheds entirely fresh light on an emotion to which philosophers have paid scant attention. Here we have an example of moral philosophy at its best.

Hilde Lindemann, Professor of Philosophy at Michigan State University

In the moral psychology literature, much has been written about happiness and almost nothing about sadness. Anna Gotlib’s edited volume on the moral psychology of sadness fills a significant gap in the literature by conveying a variety of ways that sadness as an emotion plays a crucial role in our moral lives.

Peggy DesAutels, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dayton and Director of the American Philosophical Association Committee on the Status of Women

This lively and bold collection explores oft-neglected issues in philosophy that relate to negative and positive facets of sadness, including what grieving is, whether short-term sadness after a loved one’s death is problematic, what matters to us when death is imminent, whether sadness can be good for us, and the meaning of nostalgia. Thought-provoking and tugs at the heart strings.

Anita Superson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky