PHIL 3160 – Philosophy of Happiness

What is it, how can we best pursue it, why should we? Supporting the study of these and related questions at Middle Tennessee State University and beyond. "Examining the concept of human happiness and its application in everyday living as discussed since antiquity by philosophers, psychologists, writers, spiritual leaders, and contributors to pop culture."

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Winning, reading, hiking...

 LISTENTen in a row for the Cards. And they've not had a losing season in fourteen years. The manager credits players, teams, and organizational leaders over the years for being "very intentional about passing on to the next group.” There's a life-lesson for us all there. Even Cubs fans.

As Crash Davis said in Bull Durham, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And sometimes it rains. Maybe the secret of happiness is to enjoy the wins, look beyond the losses, and carry an umbrella.

Seriously. You can't win 'em all, but win or lose tomorrow's always another day. Lose or win, we'll never be precisely here again. So take it easy. Give 110%. And practice your cliches. 

Lots to catch up on in CoPhi today, on the heels of Constitution Day and Library Day, from Hobbes to Descartes to Spinoza to Locke...

But it was time well spent over in Walker Library with Writing Center staff and librarian Rachel Kirk, preparing to succeed with midterm presentations and school and life.

“The most successful students are those who know that they can do better than grasp at the closest source of information. Reference librarians, who spend their days learning what is available in a broad range of fields and how to search for it, provide a great service for students and other library patrons... Democracies can work only if all citizens have access to information and culture that can help them make good choices, whether at the voting booth or in other aspects of public life.” --John Palfrey, BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google g'r

"Reading is at the center of our lives. The library is our brain. Without the library, you have no civilization...If you know how to read, you have a complete education about life, then you know how to vote within a democracy. But if you don’t know how to read, you don’t know how to decide... You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." --Ray Bradbury


 





And one more thing: A delightful trip to New Hampshire and a hike up Mt. Chocorua, across from William James's summer place, with Kyle Finn Dempsey...

LISTEN (9.'20). Today in CoPhi we'll turn to three French philosophers, Descartes the pretend-skeptic, Montaigne the real one, and Pascal the gambler who wanted desperately to suppress his doubts in deference to the promises of faith... (continues)

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