HAPPINESS: What Does It Mean to Be Happy? PDF

11: HAPP ON I NE S LES SS What does it mean to be Happy?  What Is Happiness? It can be interpreted as a state of mind in which one ca say he/she is happy “is in a good mood.” It can be an evaluation of one’s experiences in l...

11: HAPP ON I NE S LES SS What does it mean to be Happy?  What Is Happiness? It can be interpreted as a state of mind in which one ca say he/she is happy “is in a good mood.” It can be an evaluation of one’s experiences in life. Different Views on Happiness  Ancient Greeks “Eudaimonia” is the term used by ancient Greeks to refer a person’s state of well being or happiness. For the Greeks, happiness is something to be achieved.  Plato he equates happiness with living a moral life, practicing virtues, fulfilling personal and political duties, and controlling desires.  Aristotle Happiness is the primary reason for human actions.  Epicurus Happiness means a life of peace that is free from fear and discomfort. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Define happiness as a union with God.  Utilitarianism Person’s actions are considered moral or desirable when they produce the greatest happiness for the people.  Contemporary Philosophers approach happiness in terms of whole life satisfaction, where a person is able to evaluate his or her life experiences. Wladyslaw Tatarkiewicz defines happiness as “satisfaction with one’s life as a whole”.  Richard Brand a person’s happiness based on a total life pattern- a person should not only be satisfied with the life he or she has lived.  Wayne Sumner approaches happiness is two ways: Cognitive perspective - to look back at past experience and have a positive evaluation of his or her condition. Emotional or affective side - happiness is brought about by a sense of well- being in having lived a life that enriching and rewarding.  Jean Baudrillard criticized modern society for focusing on materialism and consumption as influences on a person’s happiness. sign value which is the perceived prestige, luxury, and power that comes from buying commodities. Three Distinct Elements Contentment which is satisfaction with one’s life. Welfare refers to the satisfaction of a person’s wants and desires. Dignity defined as the ability to control and define one’s own destiny and the freedom to live a life of one’s choosing.  Psychologists define happiness as a balance between a person’s emotions, moods, and feelings. Economists use socioeconomic data to define happiness and well-being in numerical terms, giving rise to various statistics that measures factors. How can one live a happy life? Ethics, the morality or appropriateness of human actions. Aristotle propose that to achieve happiness, a person must plan his or her activities, aim for excellence, an form a set of life goals to achieve a worthwhile life. Epicurians believe that happiness is possible if one enjoys the simple pleasure of life and commits to a life of virtue. St. Augustine believes that happiness can be found in the afterlife with God. Jeremy Bentham believes that happiness is achieved through wise decision-making. Emmanuel Kant believes that achieving happiness is impossible because of the ever- changing nature of man’s desires. He added that human actions should not be defined by happiness but rather goodwill.  Buddhism teaches the Noble Eight Path, a series of teaching that identify things one must abstains and one mst practice to attain good life. 1. Right Faith 5. Right Livelihood 2. Right Thought 6. Right Effort 3. right Speech 7. Right Mindfulness 4. Right Action 8. Right Concentration