My brief bio is in the right sidebar. Who are you? Why are you here (at MTSU, in an Intro to Philosophy class, on the planet...)? Are you happy? Do you want to be? Do you think it's more noble to suffer? What else would you like to say, by way of introduction?
Looking forward to seeing you on the 29th!
jpo
My name is Rusty (Russell) Miller. I am a philosophy and history major here at MTSU. This will be my first semester at MTSU after transferring from Columbia State. I am here in this Philosophy of Happiness class because I am very interested in the philosophy of happiness, and it will give me credit towards my major. I am as of yet to figure out why it is that I am here on the planet, but am open to suggestion. I would say that I am primarily happy. I am happiest when I am doing something that is in one way or another constructive or edifying. Be that learning/reading, making something, exercising, or working in my garden beds, a feeling of progress and edification is very gratifying to me. While I do not necessarily believe that happiness or suffering has any more inherent nobility, I believe they both have value. Suffering can very frequently lead to personal growth, and leave us better off than we were before. I look forward to learning and discussing with you all throughout the semester, and wish everyone the best of luck in their pursuit of happiness!
ReplyDeleteRusty, thanks for breaking the ice. As a pragmatist in philosophy I'm with you: happiness comes from doing, not just talking... but of course good talking is worth doing!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Also, I am very interested in pragmatism after reading Richard Rorty's "Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature" and John Dewey's "Reconstruction in Philosophy" during my spring semester!
Delete*did not mean to post as anonymous, this is from Rusty miller
DeleteRusty, you are on the right track being in this course. Being "interested in the philosophy of happiness" leads to happiness. Happiness is not something that just "happens'; it comes (IMHO) from seeking understanding of happiness. From your comment about happiness and suffering, I suspect you're going to appreciate Nietzsche, as I do.
ReplyDeleteHello Ed! I actually just read Thus Spoke Zarathustra during my summer break and really enjoyed it!
DeleteI am not in this class. I am a former student and friend of Dr. Oliver, and will, at his invitation, be monitoring it. I may occasionally comment on your discussions, as I did with Rusty's introduction. I am an armchair happiness philosopher, the product of the philosophies of Phil Oliver and William James, who got his start in this class in 2019.
ReplyDeleteEd is our co-pilot, we're in good hands!
ReplyDeleteHe's a proud graduate of MTSU's philosophy program, class of '21 -- https://photos.app.goo.gl/XbTuX5P24Rht8CfLA -- and our generous benefactor. From the Phil & RS dept website:
Delete"Ed Craig decided, after retiring from a successful career, to pursue a philosophy degree, much to the delight of everyone in the department. Below are two video links. The first is an interview with Ed after his graduation with a BS in philosophy. The second is a plea to do as he has done."
https://youtu.be/30tOv-Y39aA
https://youtu.be/vIidhUfAndw
Who are you? Why are you here (at MTSU, in an Intro to Philosophy class, on the planet...)? Are you happy? Do you want to be? Do you think it's more noble to suffer? What else would you like to say, by way of introduction?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Gary Wedgewood. I am a retired ordained United Methodist elder and pastor. I continue to pastor a church part-time in Wilson County where I live in Mount Juliet. My wife (who is a retired public-school teacher who continues to teach part-time) and I are both auditing classes (including this one) at MTSU. We are both dedicated lifelong learners. In college I majored in Philosophy and Religion, Religious Studies, and minored in Theater. I have the M.Div. (Divinity), M.A.C.E. (Christian Education) Masters degrees, and completed course work for a Masters is Counseling Psychology. I have worked as a campus minister at Ohio Wesleyan University and as the director of a Wesley Foundation at Northeastern Oklahoma State University where I taught World Religions. After that I did youth ministry for a number of years. I have spent the rest of my 45 years in ministry as a pastor of local churches.
I see Philosophy as a way of thinking about how we think and how we choose to live as well as it being a source of wisdom from past thinkers/philosophers and our ancestors. We all have a philosophy which undergirds how we live our lives in the same way that theology undergirds how I have lived out my calling to be a pastor.
Today, I would say I am happy and progressing toward more happiness. I have also suffered through some terrible times in my life and expect I may suffer more such times in the future. Today, I am definitely happier, more spiritually awake, and living a more fulfilling life than I have at times in the past.
I enjoy the interaction in the classroom, the readings, and gladly hear what other people think and have to say. I am looking forward to, this my second time, attending the Philosophy of Happiness class.
Glad to have you along for the ride Gary! Incidentally, my grandfather's name was also Gary and he was a pastor for his entire adult life!
DeleteGary is our other co-pilot (and Diana is his). This is going to be a smooth flight! So good to have you back for more Happiness, Gary!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Laura Jackson. I am an Accounting major with minors in Business Administration and Economics & Finance. I am a Senior and excited to graduate in December! I am in Philosophy of Happiness because I need 6 elective hours to qualify to take the CPA exam. I chose Philosophy of Happiness because I have enjoyed Intro to Philosophy and Ethics in the past and I think that introspection is important to a person's continual growth. I think that the answer to why I am on the planet is constantly evolving and changing as I do, depending on how I define my purpose. I am generally a happy person and I think that the desire to be happy is a defining part of being human. I don't think that suffering is inherently noble, but I do believe that to a certain extent some suffering is unavoidable in life and an important counterbalance to happiness.
ReplyDeleteThat question about why we're here is a bit ambiguous, between asking for a causal explanation of our existence and a rationale/purpose to justify or vindicate it. It's the latter that's liable to change, in our own estimation, as we accumulate experience and wisdom. The former seems relatively easier to answer, in terms either of a religious or cosmological explanation. But the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything continues to elude us. Why IS there something, rather than nothing? "42" just does not cut it. (If you don't know HHGTG, these allusions will also probably be elusive. Ask me, I love to talk Douglas Adams.)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tristan Dobbs. I’m a History major and minor in English and Philosophy. I’m in my last semester here, and I plan to move on to my master's after graduating. I’m in this class specifically because I thought the course would be interesting and beneficial. If nothing else, I’m sure it will be thought provoking. As for being happy, I like to think I am. I would say this is true for whatever happiness means to me. Whether it matches another’s own definition I cannot be sure. In the end, I don’t think it matters as long as I follow my own understanding.
I think then that what I want is to follow in that path of happiness in whatever form it takes. I can’t railroad myself into one image or idea as my personal happiness is liable to change. Life is always changing and evolving, so my idea of happiness should to. Hopefully, a deeper understanding of what happiness is and what others have said should be insightful for my own personal understanding.
As for the topic of suffering, I’ve been conflicted on this for quite some time. Suffering and existence are in some way intertwined. I find myself trying to continually find where that line is and how to navigate it. However, I don’t know if suffering correlates with being noble. Could this be a glorification of the concept of suffering by saying that suffering makes one better? I’m not sure, but I hope to have a better understanding by the end of this class.
For now, I think that about wraps everything up for my introduction. I look forward to learning a lot from this class.
I agree, better to ameliorate than to enoble suffering when and however we can. But the inevitability of suffering, and the excess of it for so many, ought to enoble the effort to mitigate and eliminate it rather than accept or surrender to it.
DeleteHello, my name is Kona. I am taking this class to understand better how other people (philosophers) perceive happiness and joy. I believe this class will prove rewarding. In terms of noble suffering, there are many forms of suffering, not just one. If someone suffers on purpose for the benefit of others, I consider that noble; however, suffering not caused by one's own accord cannot be considered noble but should be thought of as ignoble. Not ignoble for the person suffering but for the person causing the suffering.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those who turn a blind eye to the suffering of strangers.
DeleteHello, my name is Delana Howard, and I am a junior here at MTSU studying Math and Liberal Arts. I’m here because I was born here and have lived here my whole life. I am at MTSU because I have a scholarship. I am in this class because I needed an upper division class to fill my hours (sorry, I know that’s not quite the grandiose answer one would expect from someone taking a class with a name such as “The Philosophy of Happiness”).
ReplyDeleteOn the question of whether I am happy or not, I guess that depends on what your definition of happiness is. But when I think about it, I suppose the only definition of happiness that is applicable to my answering of the question is my own. I don’t know if I have a definition of happiness set in stone for myself, but I guess I’ve always connected whether I am happy or not to my levels of satisfaction, fulfillment, and enjoyment in a particular object, event, or time frame.
So am I happy? Sure, why not.
On whether I want to be happy or not, of course I do! I would be concerned for someone if they didn’t want to be happy.
The last question is stumping me a bit. I guess I want to know what the professor was thinking when he wrote the question before I answer.
I look forward to meeting y’all and going through the growing pains of stretching our minds together. See you in a bit.
Delana Howard
Saying you took the class because you needed the credits is kinda like saying you ate the ice cream because you needed the calories, right? Given that you had a choice in which credits to choose, maybe there's also room for enjoying the course just as you presumably enjoy the ice cream.
DeleteIt always surprises me too when people spurn happiness, but I've met many who did. Or pretended to. Could be just a pretense, especially if Aristotle and James (in the sidebar quotes) are right.
I hope we find a way to stretch that isn't painful!
Kona, it seems that just similar to my post, you have a somewhat reluctance to say that you are happy. I also basically said "sure, why not?". My question is, what do you think it is that keeps you from fully and without question saying "yes"? Is there a certain level of satisfaction you need? A particular need that lacks fulfillment? An amount of satisfaction? When will we be able to fully say that we are happy?
DeleteGood afternoon, everyone my name is Matt Delfendahl, and I am currently starting my junior year here at MTSU. I am a political science major with a focus in pre-law and a minor in political and social thought! I have always been interested in philosophy, so that is why I chose this specific minor and ended up in this class! I am very excited for this semester and to meet my peers!
ReplyDeleteOn whether or not I am happy, I think I am in a good spot in my life. I think happiness is in a parallel wave to sadness or other negative emotions. We have to embrace and enjoy the happiness but be realistic enough to understand that this will not last forever. Conversely, I believe the bad or the negative never last forever, and as humans we must endure and suffer through that to get back to the wave of happiness. Happiness is fickle and strange, but it is something we all need, and all humans seek, by nature.
Good to see you again, Matt.
ReplyDeleteThe realism about happiness having an expiration date could be depressing... or it could evoke WJ's response to Henry Adams about the "penultimate" state of the universe (see sidebar).
Hi, I am Taylor Mills, and I’m an English major minoring in both Philosophy and Women’s And Gender Studies. I spend a lot of time on idle introspection, to the point where it feels I live more in my head than in the presence of my peers. I would consider myself a fairly content person, or at least I should be. I have an objectively nice life. My mom is wonderful. My friends are so funny and caring. My girlfriend is the most wonderful person on the planet. I have decent grades and quite a few things I am very passionate about, yet there is this pit inside of me. No matter who I speak to or what I do, I feel mostly indifferent if not downright miserable. I’ve always worried I’m not feeling what I’m supposed to be, because I wouldn’t call myself happy or anything even remotely close. I want to be, but I think the mere concept of happiness sets a standard that isn’t achievable. It isn’t something that will consume you for long periods of time. There are moments of it, just as there are moments of deep sadness or anger, but these pass, leaving people with feelings of either contentment or discontentment. Content is what I want to be. It seems possible. I’m sorry if my introduction is too long. It’s only scratching the surface of all I wish to say, but I can be done here. I’m really looking forward to this class.
ReplyDeleteI think the message our texts are going to deliver is that it's wrong to think of happiness as momentary and passing: those Harvard men's lives testify to being in it for the long haul.
DeleteAlso: marry "the most wonderful person" you can...
My name is Dailen Wrather; I am here at MTSU to study English literature and women and gender studies. In my undergraduate education, I have taken to several schools of the lliberal arts field, philosophy included. I enjoy studying these culturally, politically, socially, etc. cultivated and motivated works and structures as a way to effectively understand how and why people "people." I like to think that I am "happy," now, in the sense that I have an absence of incredible sadness, dread or anger. I don't yet know what happiness means to me or for me, but I enjoyed your interpretation to figure out what you enjoy doing and what you desire to be able to do, and do what you can to remove the obstacles hindering you from pursuing them. I think suffering is just as noble as thriving; "nobility" as a trait feels far too culturally arbitrary and subjective to apply to something as abstract as emotion and experience. Though I have learned that studying philosophy is somewhat difficult for me, as the meaning of our existence is soemthing so profound that I find it challenging to confidently insert my own intellectual and emotional opinion and analysis of, I am quite excited for this course. I know that I will inevitably be able to take something productive from this class, even if I can't solve the meaning of the universe.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Chloe Hammond and I am a senior here at MTSU studying Political Science with a concentration in Pre-Law as well as pursuing my minor in Philosophy. My plans after I graduate here are to study for the LSAT and attend Belmont Law School, ideally thereafter practicing criminal defense or corporate law. I enjoy learning about the various subject that encompass philosophy, so I feel that this class will be insightful. I think that happiness is fairly subjective and there are many different "measurements" to indicate a level of happiness in one's life.
As of recently, I've enjoyed physical fitness as a way to maintain my stress levels, thus promoting a happiness in that aspect. Additionally, I will be interning this semester at the First Lady of Tennessee's office which im fairly excited for and has fostered a sense of happiness for the prospects of the future.
Hello! My name is Michael and I am a senior with a major in philosophy. I had a brief stint at Austin Peay but made my way over to MTSU a few years ago as an English major.
ReplyDeleteAfter an intro class with Magada-Ward 4 years ago, I knew I’d found a community for me and decided to pursue philosophy to the best of my abilities. Now, what on Earth that actually looks like and means for me? Who knows! So much of philosophy is still so exciting, new, and shiny to me that I can’t really say where my heart lies other than the fact that I have a strong love for thinkers like Hume, Spinoza, and the pragmatists (with a special fondness for the wooden writings of Dewey).
Am I happy? I’d say that’s a cruel question for a 23 year-old to answer. If I am, I can only certainly say I’m happy within the realm of a random Thursday, but certainly not Happy as if I could pat myself on the back and say the good life has been lived. I certainly would like to someday though!
As to whether it’s nobler to suffer than pursue happiness, I’m not sure I can give a straightforward answer to that. I’d first say that, since those two pursuits are so much at the mercy of contingency, that my worries aren’t so much concerned with the rise and fall of fortune—the occasional dash of suffering, pain, relief, and flourishing—but rather with the reaction to any of those given strokes of fortune. So I'd say that the noblest option of all is to concern oneself with their limited powers—to appreciate the good when given and to endure the bad with grace. The only foolish and unnecessary suffering is to grasp either fortune as something permanent and fixed and to crumble in shock when the pendulum inevitably swings again.
Now I certainly don’t walk the walk yet with that stuff, but I sure hope to get there one day!
My name's Cade Casteel. I'm here at MTSU because I want to get my Master's degree in clinical psychology. I'm here in this specific class because philosophy interests me in some capacity. I'm here on this planet for (to my knowledge) no reason other than the fact that I was born. I feel like that should be enough, honestly. I'm honestly not sure if I would say that I am a happy person. I have the capacity to be happy, but I don't know if I would be comfortable reducing my experience to a binary decision like that. I do want to be happy. I recently got a new girlfriend, and my social circle at MTSU has been expanding pretty well, so I'd like to say that I'm at least on track to becoming a bit happier. I have no idea if it's more noble to suffer or not. I really don't understand nobility to an extent where I feel that I should have an opinion. I'm not really the type to form strong opinions on things that I'm not intimately familiar with.
ReplyDeleteWho am I? I don't know. People call me Sneh, like Snake with a "K". Why I am here?... on this planet? Well, out of the whole wide universe, God thought I would be good for people on Earth. And that I would make good arguments and find an answer to the mystery behind everything that is on the tiny rock called "The Earth".
ReplyDeleteAm I happy? Sureeee! (Sarcastic tone) It depends on what one calls happiness. For someone, happiness is getting likes on their new instagram post. For the other, happiness is working like a dog in a cubicle in order to buy that new thing in the market. And for some, it the bottle of whiskey that puts them to sleep every night from the burden of a life God has gifted them with. Happiness varies. However for myself, happiness is the connection I built with my teachers to people at church to the random person who is lonely and needs a friend on this big wide campus. Happiness to me is the connection I have with people the activities like running and biking to read that new book or sipping a cup of coffee. Again, happiness varies. However, I believe happiness comes how content you are with your life. And I think I am quite content, thankfully.
Intriguing question on whether it's noble to suffer is yes, it is! From suffering we learn various things that we might not have if we didn't suffer. I like to say this when I run crazy long distances, "Tough only makes you tougher!" And yes, in that context suffering dies make you noble. Well, is it always good to suffer. No! But again, "Tough makes you tougher!"
I think your take on noble suffering is interesting. I would agree that sometimes, pain makes gain. It reminds me of someone I once knew who was very rich and they absolutely DESPISED homeless people and couldn't particularly understand what it's like to be less fortunate. I had always thought to myself, "if he lost everything and lived in poverty, would that make him more empathetic?". It's obvious that at least here, I agree with you.
DeleteI wanted to ask, do you think suffering is a necessity for growth to occur? Does one HAVE to suffer to grow?
Hey! I'm Flynn McNeil and I recognize wholeheartedly that I'm late to the introduction party. However, I wanted to still participate and maybe grab some bases on the way!
ReplyDeleteWho are you?
My given name is Garrett McNeil, but I go by my middle name, Flynn, because its way easier to say and remember, especially when ordering coffee.
Why are you here?
Well, I'm at the library right now to write this blog post. I'm at MTSU to finish up my bachelor's degree in Psychology this December. As for why I'm on this planet, I'm not sure I could conclusively say why. However, I could say that I want to be here to help and entertain people. Without going way into details, I know a lot of people with a lot of hurt they don't deserve who don't have the resources to get the help they need. I want to be that resource. Whether that's a friend to talk to, a person to shoot the shit with, or cheap therapist.
Are you happy?
Man. Like, I knew I'd have to address this at some point while taking this class, but still, that's a tough question. I would say that I am currently happy with my life trajectory. I'm finally focusing on what I consider to be some of the most important things to me. There is a lot of room for improvement and the fight with depression is always looming, but I think I'm doing pretty well right now. I'm definitely proud of who I've become over the past few years. Does that make me happy? At least a little bit.
Do you want to be (happy)?
Yes, of course. Doesn't everyone?
Do you think it's more noble to suffer?
No, I don't think so. I don't have fully developed thoughts on this particular matter, but I'll say for now that sometimes its easier to suffer. To get help, or even to simply ask for help when suffering, can be incredibly difficult. I have many friends who are "content" to suffer, but realistically, I often think it's more that they are too afraid to try to make a change. Maybe that's not the best or most empathetic look at things. I fully recognize that. But to me, suffering is easy. This world is full of horrible things that poison the mind. Trying to come out on top of all of that can be the hard part.