[socrates philosopher death ancient greece]Art Gallery ErgsArt - by ErgSap Follow/Flickr A well-stocked Netflix queue can go a long way toward pure and utter happiness, but sometimes there's still something missing. For those moments, it can help to fall back on the wisdom of history's greatest thinkers: Kierkegaard, Socrates, Thoreau, and Confucius. Here's what philosophers discovered about happiness long before orange became the new black. BERTRAND RUSSELL Mike Nudelman/Business Insider It's out of character for someone like Bertrand Russell, a lover of mathematics, science, and logic, to dabble in something so negotiable as happiness. But his idea that happiness can be found in the surrender to visceral feelings of love rings true — and contemporary science seems to be on his side. FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE Mike Nudelman/Business Insider For Nietzsche, the famous mustachioed nihilist, happiness is a kind of control one has over their surroundings. The German philosopher wrote frequently on the impacts that power (and a lack of power) can have on people's lived experiences. When people resist, they take back their agency. That sense of self can then turn into happiness. JOHN STUART MILL Mike Nudelman/Business Insider John Stuart Mill was a titan of liberalism, perhaps its most important figure in history. He spread the gospel of liberty wherever he could. When it came to happiness, he adopted the wisdom of the ancient Greeks. Instead of inundating his life with goods, Mill believed in utilitarianism. He believed in using things for a purpose, and if they served no purpose, he banished them from his life. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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