Let's introduce ourselves, fellow Happiness scholars/pursuers. I'm Dr. Oliver, I've been teaching this course in alternate years for more than a decade. We'll use this site (not D2L) to support the course. (Its predecessor, now an archive, is here.)
If you care to know anything more about me, here's the more expansive intro I've shared with my Intro to Philosophy (aka CoPhilosophy) classes.
Tell us about you. (Bear in mind: this is an open site.)
- Who are you?
- Why are you here?
- What is "happiness" to you?
- What (if anything) is more important than happiness to you?
- I'm Attense Callaway (for roster Isaac Callaway).
ReplyDelete- I'm here to explore the oxymoronic and elusory nature of the philosophy of happiness.
- It looks like we're using "happiness" in a more ultimate sense, going beyond mere fun/elation to touch on the peaceful, present, spiritually well, and spiritually full undercurrents of the good times. It means aligning all the layers. It means connecting to the divine.
- If we're using the more ultimate sense of happiness instead of using the term vaguely, really the only thing that could conflict with that value is (sacrificially) the happiness of others, but more often appeasing the needy throbs of my thicc tempting shmecxy ego is what becomes more important to me than actually be happy. Also, sometimes a temporary sacrifice of happiness is worth a change in the positive direction towards a promise of greater future happiness.
Attense, thank you so much for my morning chuckle! Ego does get in the way of a lot of things, but I think that seeing others happy should only make us happIER! And is it better to have a shmecxy ego than to be a shmuck?!! I look forward to meeting you in person on Tuesday! Mary
DeleteI am Sam Rosendahl. I am majoring in Philosophy, in the attempt to become a Philosophy professor. This course is part of making that attempt real. Happiness is the enthusiasm which can only be gained through sustained love, it is the only quality potent enough to pierce through the immense obstacles which lie in its wake. If you are unhappy, then power, financial gain, or perhaps the pursuit of some project are more important than happiness. If you are happy, nothing is more important.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sam! Your goal is an awesome one! I agree about happiness resulting from sustained love, and I think it has to start with loving ourselves...faults and all! I look forward to meeting you in class on Tuesday! Mary
DeleteHello, MProbert.
DeleteThank you. I have thought a lot about happiness and I am looking forward to furthering my understanding. I agree completely, love cannot exist in absence of self respect and personal dignity to serve as its root.
Hello, All! My name is Mary Probert, and I'm taking this class because...well, I love being happy! I refuse to be anything but! Thus, this should be an interesting class, on many levels! I think that happiness is simply, in part, being at peace with what's "there", and having the will to move on when necessary. I'm not certain that anything is actually "more important" in an individual's happy life, but helping others achieve happiness comes close! See y'all Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteMary, Sam, Attense... Thanks for going first. Mary, thanks for taking charge of the welcoming committee!
ReplyDeleteWe will indeed be looking for the deeper meaning and import of what we call happiness, how it relates to other treasured goods like meaning and purpose and community and justice etc. When we put it in that wider context it really does take on the high status Wm James accords it -- "our chief concern" (see sidebar).
Looking forward to seeing you all Tuesday afternoon. I'll be hustling over from the Honors Building where I have a class just ahead of this one. If anyone who gets in the room ahead of me would care to go ahead and fire up the computer/projector ensemble and open this site, that would be much appreciated.
LOL!!! If I get there first, I'll see if I can figure it out!
DeleteHello Phil, greetings.
DeleteI am looking forward to learning what this class has to offer and broadening my understanding of the meaning and depth of happiness.
Hi I am Morgan Davis and I am majoring in psychology but minoring in philosophy. I am here because I need to complete my courses for my minor and I thought this would be a very interesting class. Happiness to me is the feeling of warmth, like feeling the sun on your face for the first time in months. I would say love is more important than happiness but the two kind of go hand in hand together.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! What a combo, Morgan!!! I can't wait to hear your comments during class!!! Mary
ReplyDeleteI also associate happiness with the warmth of the sun (and puppies, and affection)... but then, what about all those happy Scandinavians and Icelanders et al, who keep winning the "Happiest Nation" award despite their solar deprivation? You know what Wm James Buffett said (sang): "Everywhere you go, carry the weather with you."
ReplyDeleteI will be auditing this class. I am a retired pastor. This is my fourth year of auditing classes and I have enjoyed the reading and interactions in class immensely. In the past, I took the class entitled the Psychology of Happiness.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to hearing your thoughts on the mingling of the psychological and philosophical perspectives! Throwing in a little of the religious view should prove interesting, as well! See you tomorrow! Mary
DeleteI listened to a podcast on my commute this morning that explores the science and psychology of happiness, I'll bet many of us would enjoy it: The Happiness Lab, with Dr. Laurie Santos. The installments I heard discussed nostalgia and rejection, and their relation to happiness.
DeleteIf any of you knows of any other good podcasts we ought to know about, please share.
Hello, I am Vincent Sullens. I know that Happiness is often seen as the ultimate end in life, so I took this class because I feel I should probably figure out what happiness really is, if I am going to attain or maintain it. I see stress and regret as the core detractors from happiness, so I can say that being in a state of happiness is living life without stress and regret clouding the mind. I feel that we must daily make judgement calls regarding when to sacrifice some happiness for other values, such as safety, and the achieving of goals, which usually are associated with a longer lasting form of happiness.
ReplyDeleteHello, Vincent! "Stress and regret" can definitely create hurdles in life. Can we not be happy along side them, though?! I look forward to hearing your thoughts! See you later today! Mary
DeleteI remember tagging along to a motivational seminar with my wife once and hearing the speaker boast that he "eats stress for lunch." Great. I'll bet he suffers indigestion too.
DeleteMy name is Andrew Runions, and I’m a political science major with a minor in philosophy. I’m from a small town in West Tennessee called Bells, located in Crockett County. As for why I have found myself in this class, it is for many of the same reasons that have been previously posted. After all, who wouldn’t want to further understand happiness so that they may better maintain it? However, my definition of happiness that has been formed from the many contributions of much wiser men and women may not allow one to remain in a constant state of happiness. To explain, happiness is merely the highs in a lifetime of both highs and lows. Rather, as my grandfather and my father have claimed numerous times, it is contentment that one must seek. A person should understand that life is built from these highs and lows and come to grips with the fact that they cannot always be happy. Instead, one may lessen the blow of the lows in life by appreciating the highs or reframing the lows in such a way that the situations seem more favorable. More simply put, be appreciative with what you do have and dust yourself off when you fail. Be satisfied with yourself when you’ve done all you can do and do not compare your achievements to those of others through the lens of envy. That is contentment. (Now, I must realize that this may be an argument of semantics due to my own connotations on the ideas of happiness and contentment, so we may still be on the same page. I guess we’ll see by the end of the semester!)
ReplyDeleteAs Aristotle said, one swallow does not a summer make. The superficial pursuit of happiness, the one that expects to be in a constant state of euphoria, is shallow. We need to take the wider view... though possibly not so wide as Aristotle did. We'll discuss.
DeleteYes, yes, yes! Your Father and Grandfather are wise men! I hope by the end of the semester, you've found the answers you're looking for!!!
DeleteHello, hello!
ReplyDeleteI'm Camden, a film major going into my last year of school. I'm here purely out of self interest. I took Prof. Oliver's intro to philosophy class back freshman year and loved the material and environment. I've always had an overactive mind for which philosophy has complemented me well. I still find some of my best thinking happens while walking and that peripatetic mindset has helped clear my head on more than one occasion. The penultimate human quest for happiness plagues us all and I want to take this class to clear those foggy parts of my mind or at least gain a perspective on happiness that will help me in my own journey.
Happiness seems like such a simple term we've been taught to steer clear from in writing or our vocabulary. Content, elated, exuberant, merry lol. But that is just classic humanity complicating things for the sake of it. Happiness is a feeling, a rush, of emotion that affirms your place in the world. It's a feeling of belonging, I believe, within your family, your friend groups, and your inner self and view of your importance.
I feel that only protection of others around you supersedes self fulfillment but I also believe part of self fulfillment and happiness comes from protecting others.
Hi, Camden! Welcome to your senior year!! The roles of self-fulfillment and protecting others do sometimes change order! Can't wait to hear more of what you're thinking!
DeleteHi again, Camden! So glad to hear you put in a good word for peripatetic philosophizing, I hope we'll be doing some of that... not only because hours behind the mask are oppressive, but because (as you indicate) fluid motion often leads to clarity and perspective.
ReplyDeleteI agree, other-directedness is crucial to real happiness. Misanthropic hermits may think they're happy in their isolation, but they really are in no position to compare the life of communal eudaimonia with that of the recluse.
Hello, and sorry I'm so late to this! My name is Jacob Cuva and "why are any of us here?" seems to be the real question. In all seriousness, I am in this class because I am fascinated in philosophical discussion and the ideas and concepts considered by some of the great philosophers of the past and present. Also, I'm minoring in philosophy, so...two birds, I suppose. Happiness to me is one component that makes up (what I would define as) a "good life". I would probably place it second to the feeling of fulfillment (or a sense of purpose in the world) but being unhappy all of the time also would not meet the full criteria for my definition of a "good life".
ReplyDeleteI've found that in my 23 years of life, (I'm essentially a veteran at this point) that the one's quality of life is almost entirely derived from their internal experiences and mental states of being. Even so, paper cuts suck. However, experiencing physical pain can technically still be considered an internal experience.
I think I've said quite enough now for someone who doesn't really know what they're talking about. So...excited to learn more in this course.
23 years of life...WOW!!! I can't wait to hear what you say in another 23!! Do fulfillment and happiness differ that much to be separate components?
DeleteFulfillment comes pretty close to that other F-word so closely cognate to what we call happiness... flourishing. And fulfilling your volitional purpose would put the flourish on flourishing. I think you're not just in the ballpark, you're on the field.
Delete
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Patricia Hummel. I am an Economics Major, minoring in University Honors, Philosophy, and Risk Management and Insurance.
I'm here out of a curiosity of what others define as happiness and how it achieved.
Happiness is similar to perfection: to strive for, but never truly achieve. I suppose that it is a pessimistic outlook, but I find it to be more realistic than to think that happiness can simply be found and achieved within a single action or instance.
I consider most everything to be more important than happiness.
Looking forward to having class with you all.
Dang, Patricia! You've got a lot going on! I hope you're able to become happy in the midst of all!!
DeleteThat would be interesting, indeed.
DeleteHere's where words begin to get in our way. I think I might agree that everything is more important than what MANY (MOST?) people call happiness. But TRUE happiness, flourishing, or fulfillment (maybe there are better words) of the sort that integrates personal aspiration with public-spirited commitment to the greater good and a welcome legacy for our successors? Hard to think of anything I'd consider more important. Do economists generally reject "happiness" that's non-monetized? We'll have interesting conversations.
DeleteHello, my name is Rosemarie, or Rosie if it's easier for you. I'm a senior here at MTSU majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Music. I'm taking this course to further expand my knowledge of different subjects and how they are perceived by philosophers. My definition of happiness is rather bleak but I want to be honest so bear with me. I have Bipolar II as well as Severe General Anxiety Disorder so for the past few years I have been constantly faced with one bad feeling or another. So, to cope with this, my personal definition of happiness is simply the lack of sadness or anxiety. TRUE happiness, like actually feeling GOOD is something I can usually only achieve with the use of stimulants unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry you're going thru that. Hopefully the combination of music and thinking from a philosophical perspective can help to calm your mind, and bring about a peaceful happiness!
DeleteI wrote all-caps "TRUE" too, before I read your intro. Interesting. Maybe it's too glib for any of us to casually distinguish true happiness from allegedly-inferior sorts. I suppose we should just say that any state of mind that allows one to function with a feeling of competence and eager anticipation for whatever experience may next hold in store (and any conditions that must be met for that state of mind to come about) is true enough for homo sapiens. I do think, though, that it is a worthy aspiration to build on NOT being sad, in the direction of being affirmatively happy. For those of us who don't come by that so easily, studying its conditions is more than academic.
DeleteMy name is Kendry Martinez. I transferred here so it’s my first time at MTSU, I’m currently a junior. I’m here seeking a bachelor’s in philosophy, and later on a masters, so that I can teach philosophy at the collegiate level. Happiness to me is more or less just a fun byproduct of my everyday living. In a more literal sense happiness is an emotion that we human beings are sometimes afflicted by. When it comes around it’s nice, however it’s important to not become too attached to it, since happiness, as with all other emotions, are in a constant state of deterioration. Something more important to me than happiness is probably contentedness, as the state of being content isn’t an emotion, but rather a state of being. Therefore it’s not fleeting like happiness is, which also makes it much more stable, consistent and reliable.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to MTSU, Kendry! I hope you "find" some happiness here that is more than a fleeting moment thing!
Delete"happiness, as with all other emotions"... Well, let's not be too quick to assume that happiness is just another emotion. Maybe it's not really an emotion at all, and it eludes so many because they think it is. Aristotle, for instance, said eudaimonia is a state of the soul in accord with virtue. That's way more than just a feeling.
DeleteMy name is Kathleen Baldwin. I’m 65 years of age. I operate my own business Sweet Creek Soap, creating and making soap and other herbal skin care products, I independently contract for a Property Manager, running his office and as a Real Estate Agent, renting out his units. I own a property in east Tennessee I’m renovating and visit often to supervise. I’m busier than I ever remember being in my life, and I signed up for a class with MTSU. *Smile* Here is why: Upon going to class yesterday, I wondered at my crazy old self. With all the things I have going on, why do I think I need to take a class (never considered anything but Philosophy by the way)? Shaking my head at myself, seeing all the young people, I finally found my class and took my seat. On my way to the car after class, I was on cloud 9. I was happy to be in a philosophy atmosphere once again. And, then I knew why I signed up for class. Happiness. I have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology back to get a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you got to Cloud 9 from the class! I must say, I'm there as well! Here's to us "seniors" going back!!!
DeleteWhen last semester began I had two students age 75. One graduated, but is still enthusiastically learning (and may even be lurking here). The other, I'm sorry to report, was felled by cancer in February. But the point is, education is forever. So glad you're with us! (You and I are practically the same age, btw, and I love having others in the room who have a chance of catching--even if not always appreciating--my pop cultural references from, usually, the 70s.)
DeleteMy name is Matthew Gaines. I major in communications and minor in philosophy. I'm a senior. The real reason why I took this class because in life we want to find happiness but what makes us motivate towards it. Happiness to me is overcoming your battles of life and you can finally find that peace and happiness with yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou put that very Matthew!! I look forward to hearing more from you in class!!
DeleteOvercoming battles is good, but I don't think we should postpone happiness until the battles are all won. They may never all be won. But "overcoming" them might not require victory in a martial sense. "Moral holidays" (when we retire from the battlefield at least for a bit) can happen every day, today and tomorrow and tomorrow...
DeleteWhat’s up! My name is Caleb Barbier and I’m a sophomore majoring in cultural communication, while minoring in philosophy and French. I’m here in this class because of my love for wisdom and philosophy. To me, both are not only vital for each and every one of us, but necessary to see us succeed togetherness in the future of society. To bring it back to philosophy though, answering the question what is happiness: when something or someone finds a pleasure that becomes a strength. For instance, if I take deep pleasure in knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, following Jesus, in the most basic form, He becomes my strength. This is what I believe the Bible teaches about happiness, and that’s how I would define it as well. When deciding if this is the highest importance in the universe, I would say no. This is because happiness needs to be contained in truth. I can define this better in person, but truth allows our happiness, in a sense, to prosper and grow in the confines of God’s perfect desires. If the Christian God is in fact real, which I believe so, then truth is more important than happiness, but happiness is necessary.
ReplyDeleteI agree for the most part, Caleb! I think, though, that His truth is, in fact, happiness!!!
DeleteI wonder if Jesus ever gave a Brian Cohen speech ("You don't have to follow me, you don't have to follow anyone")...
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHbzSif78qQ
I'm Tom Smith a freshman majoring in Philosophy and Environmental Science. I'm here because I don't think there is anything more important than understanding and carefully examining the fundamental questions of being human, and happiness due to the importance placed on it by cultures and individuals throughout history seems like a great place to start.
ReplyDeleteTo me happiness is the sense of ultimate satisfaction that one gains from pursuing and living closer and closer to ultimately unattainable state of perfect virtue.
To me the pursuit of happiness, which I believe is directly tied to living morally, is the ultimate purpose of human existence.
Hi, Tom! I agree that happiness is a great place to start...and end!
ReplyDeleteUltimate, yes, but also provisional. That is, if you're living virtuously (in the expansive Greek sense, not the constricted moralistic one) you can take satisfaction in the pursuit of happiness day-by-day. Aristotle seemed to say that you couldn't do that, because eudaimonia is the quality of a full lifetime well-lived. I think that sets the bar unreasonably high for mere mortals.
DeleteMy name is Karlie Stroud and I am finishing up my junior year here at MTSU. I am an Advertising Major and Double Minor in Marketing and Political and Social Theory. I’m here, as I’m sure are most of us are, because this class sounded very interesting and it also just so happen to count for my second minor credits, so it was a win-win! I think the most accurate description of happiness for me would be two words my mom used to use all the time, “Chaotic Bliss.” It took me the majority of my life to understand what happiness was for me, and I’m not even sure that I’ve really figured it out now. Happiness for me, right now at least, is enjoying the passing moments and understanding that they are indeed passing, and that’s okay. Learning to be content amongst the wildfire will take it from a brewing storm to chaotic bliss. I don’t think there is anything else more important than being happy.
ReplyDelete"content among the wildfire"--That sounds like a book or recording title, and it sounds like a good strategy in "times like these"!
DeleteI'm Stan Brent. I am retired US Navy after serving for 20 years. Been working on my Psych degree off and on for about 11 years and will hopefully finish this time around. I strive to be happy but fall short on many occasions. Hopefully this course will enlighten me to the mechanics of happiness.
ReplyDeleteWe all fall short, except (apparently, I wouldn't know) the so-called "Once-born" of whom Wm James writes. The winners in life, seems to me, are those who get up after a fall.
DeleteDo you hate it when people say "Thank you for your service" by rote and without conviction? Well, I do thank you for your service. "Dirty job but somebody has to do it," as my old pal the recently-retired Blue Ridge philosopher always said.
Hi, I'm Nicholas Cook...im just here to achieve a degree, but mostly find out who I am and what interests me. My plants and animals are what bring me happiness. My animals are more important than happiness to me, but since they are my happiness they're not technically more important than happiness...nothing is more important to me than my happiness.
ReplyDelete