Theories and origins of happiness

Lesson Objectives

• Identify different views of human flourishing.
• Determine the scientific method's development and science's legitimacy.
• Critique the progress made in science and technology to understand a good life's meaning.

What Makes You Happy?

• Happiness in psychology is described as a mental or emotional state of well-being with positive emotions ranging from contentment to joy.
• Behaviorists define happiness as a mix of emotions experienced when something good or positive happens.
• Neurologists consider happiness the result of a flood of hormones which are released in the brain as a reward that prolongs survival.

Is Happiness a Destination or a Journey?

• Happiness is defined as either destination or a journey.

Hedonism

• Hedonism views well-being as the opposite of suffering, where happiness indicates a lack of pain.
• Hedonists believe the purpose of life is maximizing happiness and minimizing misery.

Eudaimonia

• It means "good spirited".
• Coined by Aristotle (385-323 BC), describes the pinnacle of happiness attainable by humans.
• Often translated as “human flourishing,” akin to humans achieving their full bloom like flowers.

Eudaimonia

• It is a term combining the Greek words for "good" and "spirit".
• Defines happiness as actively striving to become a better person.
• Eudaimonists intellectually challenge themselves or engage in enriching spiritual activities.

Nicomachean Ethics

• Philosophical study into a good life's nature for humans.
• Human flourishing has components like phronesis, friendship, wealth, and power.
• Ancient Greeks believed acquiring these qualities leads to happiness and partaking in "the Good".

Human Flourishing

• As time changes, elements that comprise human flourishing changed.
• It includes living comfortably, exploring, developing products, and making money.

Early Concept of Human Flourishing

• Early concept was using simple machines to make hunting and gathering easier, then later creating grander machines.

Human Flourishing Today

• Today's concept differs from Aristotle’s original perception and involves being a "man of the world".
• Modern man exists within a global neighborhood and works alongside institutions and government.
• Competition is outdated; coordination has become the new trend.

Western vs Eastern Civilization

• It looks at Society and Human Flourishing

Human Flourishing (Western Civilization)

• Heavily focused on the individual.
• Regards human flourishing as an end goal.
• Reflects an Aristotelian view
• Aims for eudaimonia

Human Flourishing (Eastern Civilization)

• Focused more towards the community, the individual should sacrifice for society’s sake.
• The Chinese Confucian system teaches that well-being is dependent on the well-being of others.
• Japanese Bushido (Ancient Code of the Samurai Warrior).
• The whole is greater than their components.
• Chinese and Japanese cultures encourage studying literature, sciences, and art for the needs of the greater community.

Eastern v Western Conception

• Eastern focuses on the community, requires individual sacrifice, includes the Chinese Confucian system and Japanese Bushido, and encourages studies in service to a cause.
• Western focuses on the individual, with flourishing as the end goal from an Aristotelian view, aiming for eudaimonia.
• A person who has achieved such state would want to serve the community, based on his values rather than his belief that the state is greater than him.
• Human Flourishing is a global perspective and as man of the world.

Science, Technology and Human Flourishing

• Science and technology have contributions.
• Discoveries, innovations, and successes increase knowledge.
• Humans perpetually seek to find their place in the world by tracing evolution.

Science, Technology and Human Flourishing

• Human flourishing is strongly linked to goal setting in relation to science and technology.
• Technology serves as a tool for achieving science.
• "Technology is a human activity that we excel in as a result of achieving science" - Heidegger

Science, Technology, and Human Flourishing

• The end goals of science, technology, and human flourishing are related; "the good" is related to "the truth."

Science as Methods and Results

• Science comes from objectivity through a rigid method.
• Claims to empiricism and reasoning.
• Science is effectively raised in a pedestal untouchable by other institutions.

Steps in Scientific Method

• Observe.
• Determine the problem.
• Formulate hypothesis.
• Conduct experiment.
• Gather and analyze.
• Formulate conclusion and provide recommendation.
• Separates science from pseudoscience by scientific discipline.

Verification Theory

• The earliest standard to tell the difference philosophy and science.
• Proposes a discipline is science if validated or interpreted in accepting an alternate hypothesis.
• Gives premium to empiricism, considering only measurable and repeatable results.  

Verification Theory

• Vienna Circle (early 20th century)
• A group of scholars who believed that:
• Only those which can be observed should be regarded as meaningful
• Reject those which cannot be directly assessed as meaningless.
• Einstein's theory???
• Quantum mechanics???
• Evidence versus theory

Falsification Theory

• As long as an ideology is not proven to be false and can explain a phenomenon over alternative theories it is accepted..
• Allowed theories rejected by verification theory to emerge.
• Encourages research to falsify theories.

Falsification Theory

• Karl Popper aimed at producing new, falsifiable predictions.
• Scientific practice continually tests theories against experience and revises them based on test outcomes.
• Marx's Theory of Social History is not testable, so it is not falsifiable
• Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalysis is not testable, so it is not falsifiable
• Whether these are scientific is a point of debate.

Falsification Theory

• The theory is prone to same generalizations by verification method
• There is no known rule as to the number of instance that a theory is rejected or falsified in order for it to be set aside.
• There is no assurance that observable event or “evidences" are indeed manifestations of a certain concept or "theories.”

Science as a Social Endeavor

• Alternative demarcation explores science and technology’s social dimension.
• Science no longer belongs only to gown-wearing, scientists in laboratories.
• This view introduces a dimension generally benefiting society.

Science and Results

• People unfamiliar with science are won over when it delivers results.
• Miracles of Jesus garnered followers in a similar fashion, as people became sold over capacity of science.
• Besides science other things that work: religion, luck, and human randomness.

3. Science and Results

• Communities lacking science can resort to divination/superstition for similar results.
• Science is not always reliable, like weather reports and is not the only source with definite results.

Science as Education

• The sciences educate, by asking questions, solving problems, need knowledge, understand students, etc.

Science as Education

• There's an unjustified preference for science-inclined students.

• Philippines has many science high schools creating competition for slots and rigorous training.

• Senior High program includes STEM, Accounting, and Business and How this affects the perception of science by graduates has to be explored.

• Eudaimonic persons must be knowledgeable about science and understand intellectual virtues to determine good reasoning.

• Eudaimon persons need to excel in linguistic, kinetic, artistic, and socio-civic dimensions instead of focusing on one aspect alone.

SUMMARY

• Human flourishing equates to "good spirited" as Aristotle put it.
• Humans generally know what flourishing means, but in the age of science and technology, rely on results.
• While science gives the world details, its claim to objectivity & systematic methods is still flawed.

Human Flourishing as Reflected in Progress and Development

• There is reflection on Progress and Development.

Human Flourishing as Reflected in Progress and Development

• New sustainable development goals in New York are launched by the UN.

Human Flourishing as Reflected in Progress and Development

• Business as usual approach fails.
• 70% of people in middle/high-income countries believe that overconsumption puts the planet/society at risk.
• Heads of state gathering in New York will sign these UN goals.
• The main objective is to eradicate poverty by 2030.

Growth has been the main object of development for the past 70 years, despite the fact that it's not working. Orthodox economists insist that all we need is yet more growth. More progressive types tell us that we need to shift some of the yields of growth from the richer segments of the population to the poorer ones, evening things out a bit. Neither approach is adequate. Why? Because even at current levels of average global consumption, we're overshooting our planet's bio-capacity by more than 50% each year.

Human Flourishing as Reflected in Progress and Development

• Economist Peter Edward suggests rich countries "catch down" instead of pushing poor countries up.
• Societies with people who live long happy lives with low income should not be basket cases developed towards Western culture, but efficient living examples.

Explore behaviorist, neurological, and philosophical perspectives on happiness. Compare hedonistic vs. Eudaimonic views of well-being. Review ancient beliefs and modern trends in human flourishing across Western and Eastern civilizations.