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Successor site to the Philosophy of Happiness blog (http://philoshap.blogspot.com/) that supported PHIL 3160 at MTSU, 2011-2019. The course returns Fall 2025.
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."
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Burkeman’s imperfectionism
In a world that often demands perfection, it's easy to get caught up in the belief that we need to have everything figured out before we...
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Let's introduce ourselves, fellow Happiness scholars/pursuers. I'm Dr. Oliver, I've been teaching this course in alternate years...
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UPDATE, Oct. 2 . The schedule is set. For those who've not declared a topic preference, there's still time. Look in the first four c...
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Some of these questions will likely turn up (in one form or another) on our first exam at the end of September. Reply to any of the discuss...
I love to hear this description being used to describe a humanist, my mom always would say a similar phrasing of this to me growing up. We are supposed to do the right thing because that's what we are supposed to do, not because we are setting expectations upon that action. Intention over expectation, but truly I wouldn't have ever thought to describe my mom as a Humanist.
ReplyDeleteHere's another slice of Vonnegut's humanism, from his novel "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater":
Delete“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
Interesting quote because that’s the exact reason I’m not so quick to agree with Humanism. It seems almost impossible for a society to be based upon purely secular notions. There’s always been some appeal to a higher power within society. At the very least, it’s the only clear and distinct way of providing a reason for acting decent when no one is around. Not to even get into how it’s the most concrete and safest way of politically grounding human rights. On the flip side, there’s been many of wars that started just over religion, so who can really tell?
ReplyDeleteI realize this is a rather huge discussion in reality, so I’ll try to just leave it there. An extremely thought-provoking debate, however, with both sides putting up convincing arguments.