ON HAPPINESS

HAPPINESS IS. . .

I AM HAPPY WHEN . . .
What does it mean to be happy?
Happiness (state of mind and “is in good
mood”)
- one can still maintain his or her
happiness even if he or she is experiencing
difficulties.
- it can be an evaluation of one’s
experiences in life.
“Being happy means having a
satisfying life that goes well for the person
living it.
Eudaimonia (good spirit) – refer to a
person’s state of well-being or happiness.
Plato – equates happiness with living a
moral life, practicing virtues, fulfilling
personal duties, and controlling
one’sdesires.
Aristotle – happiness is the primary reason
for human action, and one becomes happy
through the practice of virtues and the
accumulation of achievements.
Epicureans - happiness means a life of
peace that is free from fear and discomfort.
St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas
- happiness as union with God.
Greatest Happiness Principle
- states that a person’s actions are
considered moral or desirable when they
produce the greatest happiness for other
people.
Whole Life Satisfaction
- a person is able to evaluate his or
her life experiences and determine his or her
level of satisfaction with how he or she has
lived life.
3 Distinct Elements of Happiness
• Contentment – satisfaction of one’s life
• Welfare - satisfaction of a person’s wants
and desire
• Dignity – ability to control and define
one’s own destiny, and the freedom to live
a life of one’s choosing.
 3 Goods of Happiness
• Noble good – one which is pursued for its
own sake; it is good in itself.
• Useful Good – considered good so long
as it serves as a means to an end; its
goodness is found only from, what it can
provide.
• Pleasurable Good – is good so long as it
provides some form of pleasure, though it
does not have to be physical.