Let’s Ponder:
What makes you happy? List down your thoughts and ideas on HAPPINESS.
HAPPINESS IS… I AM HAPPY WHEN…
1. How would you describe a “happy life “?
2. Why is it important for a person to be happy?
Happiness, and the means to achieve it, has been an important topic of discussion in Philosophy since ancient times. Various views have emerged to describe a “happy life”, and the steps a person can take to achieve a state of happiness or contentment in life.
What does it mean to be happy?
It can be interpreted as a state of mind? One say that he or she is happy or “is in a good mood” today. One can still maintain happiness even if experiencing difficulties in life. It can be an evaluation of one’s experiences in life. In this case,being happy means having a satisfying life that goes well for the person living it. Equates Happiness with living a moral life, practicing virtues,fulfilling personal duties, and controlling one’s desire. ( Plato)
Happiness is the primary reason for human action, and one becomes happy through the practice of virtues and the accumulation of achievements.
St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas – happiness is a union with GOD. A person’s life is lived for the sole purpose of achieving unity with the Divine, and man’s eventual union with God is the epitome of happiness.
Greatest Happiness Principle
The person’s actions are considered moral or desirable when they produce the greatest happiness for other people. Based on this, society should promote activities or actions that produce the greatest happiness or satisfaction for its members.
Whole Life Satisfaction. Where a person is able to evaluate his or her life experiences and determine the level of satisfaction with how he or she has lived life.
Wayne Summer approaches happiness in two ways.
Cognitive perspective, one must be able to look back at past experiences have a positive evaluation of his or her condition.
Affective side, happiness is brought about by a sense of well being having lived a life is enriching and rewarding
Distinct Elements
1. Contentment, which is satisfaction with one’s life.
2. Welfare, which refer to the satisfaction of person’s wants
and desires.
3. Dignity, which defined as the ability to control and define one’s own destiny, and freedom to live a life of one’s choosing.
Each element of human well-being is independent of each other, a persons often determine their happiness by prioritizing one element over another.
One may be contended despite not having enough money, or one may have all the money in the world but still feel unsatisfied in life. A prisoner, who is without freedom, may choose to accept his or her fate and find contentment in the situation. The significance of happiness as a measure of life satisfaction is also recognized by the social sciences. This measures consider the over all well-being of countries and take into account various factors:
•Sustainable development
•Promotion of cultural values
•Preservation of environment
•Good governance
Explain:
1. Which philosophical view on happiness is most relevant to your personal experiences?
2. Should happiness be a public concern? In what way can society contribute to personal happiness?
How can one live a happy life?
Ethics plays a significant role in discussing happiness and the means to achieve it.
The morality or appropriateness of human actions often revolves around the question of personal satisfaction and the general welfare.
St. Augustine believes:
•Happiness cannot be found in the afterlife when the spirit reunites with God.
•For Christians to live a life of virtue because it sets us on a road toward achieving happiness.
Emmanuel Kant believes:
*Happiness is impossible because of the ever–changing nature of man’s desires.
Explain:
According to philosophers, what are the ways that a person can live a happy life?
QUESTION:
1. Happiness is the primary reason for human action, and one becomes happy through the practice of virtues and the accumulation of achievements.
2. Equates Happiness with living a moral life, practicing virtues, fulfilling personal duties, and controlling one’s desire.
Happiness is a choice.