Philo11L10-11

• Happiness


  • Can be a state of mind (anything that you can think of, and your condition ex. Your stomach is hurting so it means that you are not happy)
  • Evaluation of one's experiences in life (looking back to the things you did)
• Eudaimonia


  (Good spirit) A person's state of well-being or happiness
• Plato


  • Equates happiness with living a moral life, practicing virtues, fulfilling one's duties and controlling one's desires
• Aristotle


  • Defines happiness as the primary reason of human action, and one becomes happy through the practice of virtues and the accumulation of achievements
• Epicureans


  • Happiness means a life of peace free from fear and discomfort
• St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas


  • Define happiness as a union with God
• Utilitarianism


  Proposed the greatest happiness principle
• Whole Life Satisfaction


  Contemporary philosophers' approach to happiness
• Wladyslaw Tatarkiewicz


  Satisfaction with one's life as a whole
• Richard Brandt


  Happiness as a total life pattern
• Wayne Sumner


  Happiness in cognitive and emotional/affective sides
• Elements of happiness as well-being

  • Contentment - overall satisfaction
  • Dignity - define own destiny and ability to choose life and things
  • Welfare - satisfaction with one’s wants and desire
• The significance of happiness as a measure of life satisfaction is also recognized by the social sciences
• Psychologists define happiness


  A balance between a person's emotions, moods, and feelings
• Economists use socioeconomic data to define happiness and well-being


  Giving rise to various statistics such as the Gross National Happiness Index and Gross National Well-being Index
• Aristotle's view on achieving happiness

  A person must plan his/her activities and form a set of life goals to achieve a worthwhile life
• Epicureans' view on achieving happiness

  Happiness is possible if one enjoys the simple pleasures of life and commits to a life of virtue. The desire for wealth and status are merely artificial goals.
• St. Augustine's view on happiness

  Happiness can be found in the afterlife when the spirit reunites with God. It is important for a Christian to live a life of virtue because it sets us on a road toward achieving happiness.
• Jeremy Bentham's view on achieving happiness


  Happiness is achieved through wise decision-making. One must exercise careful thought in engaging in activities, and should only pursue those that are most worthwhile to society.
• Immanuel Kant's view on achieving happiness


  Achieving happiness is impossible because of the ever-changing nature of man's desires. Human actions should not be defined by happiness but rather goodwill, meaning one is fulfilling his/her duties toward others.
• Psychologists' advice on dealing with unhappiness


  Examining and understanding one's own thoughts, feelings, and experiences to avoid negative thoughts and reevaluate negative experiences
• Factors in dealing with unhappiness

  • Support system matters
  • Maintaining balance between activities
  • Having a sense of purpose and engaging in meaningful activities
• Suffering


  An experience of unpleasantness, discomfort and pain. It is often associated with threats to human existence or the lack of pleasure/happiness in life.
• Types of suffering

  • Physical suffering (physical sensations such as discomfort, hunger, distress and pain)
  • Mental suffering (emotional and mental states such as depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, and grief)
• Suffering can also be caused by

  The conflict between one's notion of a "perfect world" and the actual state of the world he/she lives in, leading to anxiety, uncertainty and dread
• Weltschmerz


  Man is in conflict with reality as his ideal world is not inclined with reality
• Angst


  Fear and anxiety relating to existential dread (crisis brought about when a person begins to question his purpose and reason for being)
• Ennui


  Feeling of weariness and discontent brought about by a lack of interest/intense boredom with the world
• Views on the role of suffering in human life

  • Suffering as an undesirable human condition; humans naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain
  • Suffering is necessary to human existence
• Arthur Schopenhauer's view


  • Proposed a view of a world controlled by chaotic forces that bring about human suffering – Pessimistic view. This view believes that human existence is characterized by suffering caused by man's inability to meet his unlimited wants and desires.
• Buddhist philosophy


  • Considers suffering as a defining feature of human existence. The Four Noble Truths propose that human suffering is caused by desire and it will end through eliminating these desires. Believes that suffering is closely tied to spiritual progress and that all suffering ends when a person attains enlightenment.
• Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Considers suffering as an important component in life. Without suffering, man is unable to grow.
• Friedrich Nietzsche


  • Believes that suffering is inevitable, and that man is meant to suffer. Man should accept and embrace suffering as an important component in life.
• George Sefler


  • happiness and suffering are twins they cannot exist without the other
• Theodicy


  study of God
• Christian theology


  Considers suffering as a means to achieve a higher meaning in life. Christ's suffering is considered highly significant to God's plan for humankind's salvation.
• Epicureans' view on coping with suffering

  Suffering can be avoided by seeking only the pleasurable things in life and avoiding those that cause harm or pain
• Stoics


  mental toughness and mental strength
• Nietzsche's view on coping with suffering

  A person should not blame other people or look at external factors to explain his suffering
• Utilitarian philosophers' view on coping with suffering


  People should focus on actions that are beneficial to society, supported by humanitarianism which believes that the purpose of one's existence is to make other people happy