Human Flourishing and Eudaimonia

• The lesson aims to enable students to identify different conceptions of human flourishing, determine the development and validity of the scientific method, and critique human flourishing regarding the progress of science and technology to define a good life.

Eudaimonia

• Eudaimonia, coined by Aristotle (385-323 BC), means "good spirited."
• It refers to the pinnacle of happiness and has been translated as "human flourishing" in literature.
• As Aristotle discussed in the Nicomachean Ethics, human flourishing results from phronesis, friendship, wealth, and power.
• Ancient Greeks believed acquiring these elements leads to happiness and allows participation in the greater notion of the Good.
• Eudaimonia is considered the good for a human life and is related to happiness, living well, and flourishing.
• Eudaimonia is an activity of living, is objective, not subjective, and relates to life as a whole, not easily changed.
• Today’s concept of human flourishing differs from Aristotle's original perception; humans are now expected to be "men of the world".
• One should situate themselves in a global neighborhood to reach a common goal, as survival through competition has become outdated and coordination is the new trend.
• Change has led to people living more comfortably, exploring, producing, and making money, repeating the process continuously.
• People rely on sophisticated machines for various endeavors, including those related to life after death.
• There is a discrepancy between Eastern and Western conceptions of society and human flourishing.
• Western civilization focuses more on the individual, while Eastern cultures are more community-centric, prioritizing the community's needs over the individual.
• The Greek Aristotelian view aims for Eudaimonia as the ultimate good without indicating that Aristotle intended it to achieve other goals instrumentally.

Science, Technology, and Human Flourishing

• Each discovery, innovation, and success adds to human knowledge, revealing a human need to locate themselves in the world by tracing evolution.
• Having a unique role elicits self-importance, leading to technology being a human activity where humans excel due to science.
• Science, technology, and human flourishing share the end goal that the good inherently relates to the truth.

Science as Methods and Results

• Science's reputation stems from objectivity through a rigid methodology, preventing accusations of prejudice and positioning science as untouchable.
• Science's sole claim to reason and empiricism garners supporters to defend it.
• Although the number of steps varies, science involves observing and determining unexplained occurrences.
• The scientific method consists of determining the problem, identifying factors, and formulating a hypothesis.
• The goal is to reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative to count as significant.
• Conducting experiments involves setting up dependent and independent variables to observe their effects.
• Results are gathered and analyzed to determine if the data is significant enough to draw conclusions.
• A conclusion is formulated and a recommendation given for those who want to expand the study.
• The presented routine is a basic methodology that introduces students to experimentation and empiricism, giving science an edge over other schools of thought.
• Heavy objections exist on scientific producers, blurring the line between science and pseudoscience, which becomes more muddled.

Verification Theory

• The earliest criterion differentiating between philosophy and science is verification theory.
• A discipline is considered science if it can be confirmed or interpreted when the alternative hypothesis is accepted.
• This theory emphasizes empiricism, only considering measurable and repeatable results.
• The Vienna Circle in the early 20th century believed meaningful observations should be regarded, rejecting what could not be directly accessed as meaningless.
• This theory proves risky because budding theories without empirical results may be prematurely dismissed, lowering innovation and punishing new ideas.
• Einstein's theory on gravitational waves would be dismissed due to a lack of evidence, and quantum mechanics would not prosper if Edwin Schrodinger did not entertain his outrageous thought about the cat in the box being both dead and alive.
• Verification theory fails to eliminate fallacies that explain things coincidentally, such as astrology being employed to ascertain reliability.

Falsification Theory

• Falsification theory asserts that an ideology should be accepted if it best explains a phenomenon over alternatives and hasn't been proven false.
• It allowed for the emergence of theories otherwise rejected by verification theory and encourages research to determine which theory can be falsified.
• Karl Popper, a proponent, stated Marx's Theory of Social History and Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalysis as untestable & unfalsifiable, questioning the status of science.
• Observable events lack assurance as manifestations of certain theories.
• Scientists remain unconvinced of falsification method as regards discipline as scientific.

Science as a Social Endeavor

• Sciences cease to belong solely to gown-wearing, scientist at laboratories.
• The new view perpetuates a dimension which generally benefits the society.
• Uncontacted tribes in South America do not regard western science as their science, but their own local science is no way inferior to globalized peoples science.
• Presents an alternative notion beyond cold, hard facts of science and instead projects it in a different light, such as a shared experience forging solidarity over communities.

Science and Results

• Those who don't understand science are won over when it can produce results.
• Similar to Jesus performing miracles, people are sold over the capacity of science to do things they cannot comprehend.
• Some communities turn to divination and superstition without science to get results.
• Science is not entirely foolproof 100% of the time, like weather reports illustrating fallibility and limitations.
• The best we can do during disasters is to reinforce materials and restore the area upon impact, but science does not monopolize the claim to definite results.

Science and Education

• There is no singular scientific method, offering a variety of procedures to experiment with and call them science.
• Those in pursuit of human flourishing should pursue it holistically, as mastering science and technology alone is inadequate without socializing or assessing our inner self.
• Aristotle's eudaimonia requires being knowledgeable about science and possessing intellectual virtues to determine truth from falsehood, or good versus poor reasoning.

How Much is Too Much?

• World leaders signed the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000, targeting eight concerns, including forging a global partnership for development.
• The world is developing with human inventions that may benefit man but also damage the world.
• The population is growing, and resources are scarce.
• Joseph Hickel suggested developed countries adopt "de-development" instead of pushing for more growth.
• We are experiencing climate change due to exploits, which would affect flora and fauna, driving half extinct in less than a hundred years.