ch1
1. Who has frequently been held up by philosophers as a paradigm of happiness?
2. What nation did Gallup find to be happiest in terms of daily experience?
3. What does Haybron say will most likely NOT be on your deathbed list of things you'd like to experience again before you go?
4. What was Aristotle's word for happiness, and what did he particularly not mean by it?
5. Which of Haybron's three happiness theories is not mainly concerned with feelings?
6. Why does Haybron consider "subjective well-being" unhelpful?
ch2
7. How does the author's Dad describe existence "on the Pond"?
8. What does Big Joe the commercial fisherman feel at the end of his working day, and how does he feel generally?
9. Your posture or stride reveals something deeper than what?
10. The author says moments like the one depicted in the photo on p.18 involve no what?
11. Who developed the notion of flow?
12. Tranquility, confidence, and expansiveness are aspects of what state of mind/body?
13. Though your temperament may be more or less fixed, your ___ may be more or less prone to change with circumstances.
14. What famous western Buddhist says happiness is an optimal state of being, much more than a feeling?
Discussion Questions (please add your own)
7. How does the author's Dad describe existence "on the Pond"?
8. What does Big Joe the commercial fisherman feel at the end of his working day, and how does he feel generally?
9. Your posture or stride reveals something deeper than what?
10. The author says moments like the one depicted in the photo on p.18 involve no what?
11. Who developed the notion of flow?
12. Tranquility, confidence, and expansiveness are aspects of what state of mind/body?
13. Though your temperament may be more or less fixed, your ___ may be more or less prone to change with circumstances.
14. What famous western Buddhist says happiness is an optimal state of being, much more than a feeling?
Discussion Questions (please add your own)
- Do you often, or ever, experience a state of mindless meditation? Are you happy in those moments? Or must such moments recur regularly over the course of a lifetime before such a judgment would be appropriate?
- How often do you find yourself fully engaged and absorbed in what you're doing? Do you think you could learn to experience such a state of being more frequently and reliably?
- How much attention do you pay to your posture and bodily presentation? When striding confidently do you feel more confident, when sitting erect do you feel more competent? Can acting happy make you happy?
- This isn't how most philosophers would define "rationality," but what do you think of it as a description of happiness? "When enjoying plenary freedom either in the way of motion or of thought, we are in a sort of anaesthetic state in which we might say with Walt Whitman, if we cared to say anything about ourselves at such times, " I am sufficient as I am." This feeling of the sufficiency of the present moment, of its absoluteness, — this absence of all need to explain it, account for it, or justify it, — is what I call the Sentiment of Rationality. As soon, in short, as we are enabled from any cause whatever to think with perfect fluency, the thing we think of seems to us pro tanto rational." William James
- Do you ever experience "flow," when your absorption in a task makes the experience of the passage of time drop away? Did you experience that more when younger? (Could that be what the poet Wordsworth was talking about when he referred to intimations of immortality in childhood?)
- How do you manage your bad moods? Does it work for you to try and ignore them, and just get on with your day? Or have you learned the Stoic/Vulcan art of distancing yourself from all moods? Is it possible to achieve selective distancing, drawing closer to happy moods and away from bad ones?
- Who's the happiest person you know? What have you learned from observing them?
- Do you agree that there's never been a better time to be alive? 1 (Steven Pinker in Better Angels of Our Nature, for one, says life's never been better.)
- "Life is good" - agree? What hypothetical circumstances in your life do you imagine might reverse your opinion?
- Do you think many poor communities are happier than the average college student? 3
- How important is health, and healthcare, in your conception of happiness? 7
- Do we need a theory or definition of happiness? 10
- What do you think of Aristotle's approach? 11
- Do you have views about eastern (eg, Buddhist) approaches to happiness?
- Can you be a genuinely happy individual in an unhappy society? 13
Do we need a theory or definition of happiness?
ReplyDeleteDo we need it? No, I do not believe that it is necessary to have a theory or definition of happiness in order to be happy. I think it can be useful, particularly in a time when one is not experiencing happiness. During such a time it may be useful to have some theory of happiness towards which to strive, but I do not see having a definition or theory of happiness as a necessary condition of happiness. Take the Piraha people for example, they likely do not have any abstract definition of happiness and yet seem to embody the very thing which we would attempt to define. So while I do believe that a theory or definition of happiness might be useful, I do not believe it to be necessary.
They may not define it, but they know it when they live it. Kinda like what that old Supreme Court justice said about pornography, maybe?
DeleteI wanted to add onto this by adding that children might not have their own definition of happiness but nonetheless experience happiness. If they do have theory or definition of happiness it is usually one that is shallower than an adults. However, this does not stop them form experiencing true happiness.
DeleteI think a great analogy for this is when a younger person tries to explain a newer technology or cultural term to someone of an older generation. While the younger person may not be able to explain what that new term means in a way the older person would understand, the younger person just knows what it means. I recently experienced this with my grandmother when she asked what it meant when someone "tagged her on a post". For some reason I could not explain this concept to her, yet I just knew it. As you all have said, just because there may not be a set definition for happiness, does not mean people do not know what it feels like or what it means to be happy.
Delete
ReplyDeleteCan you be a genuinely happy individual in an unhappy society?
I believe so. I think it would be difficult to do so if you found the society as your primary source of identity. If you were attached to the society as your pleasure apparatus, and the place from which you derive your sense of who you are, it would likely prove extremely difficult to be happy on the whole. You could find spurts of happiness, or perhaps of pleasure, but all in all I do not believe you could be genuinely happy. However, if you can detach your identity from the unhappy society, and find your happiness within yourself (and within your relationships) as opposed to in external sources or material, I believe it is certainly possible to be happy in an unhappy society.
Hard to know exactly how to stipulate the criteria of an unhappy society, but what strikes some of us as our contemporary dearth of public civility, manners, kindness, charitableness, sympathy/empathy etc. is surely symptomatic of a society tending to unhealthiness and unhappiness. I resolve to be happy as I can in such a society, but I also concede believing I'd be happier in a better one.
ReplyDeleteHow often do you find yourself fully engaged and absorbed in what you're doing? Do you think you could learn to experience such a state of being more frequently and reliably?
ReplyDeleteThere are three examples where I find myself fully engaged and absorbed in what I am doing. The first is a more general answer in where the examples are related to what I enjoy doing. I can become completely engrossed in a game I am playing for example where all that matters is that game. The second time is usually less "enjoyable" where in I can go into an autopilot like trance. For example, there have been times where I have become so entranced in driving that I automatically take turns I need to. This is a fine state, but it isn't quite what the book was speaking about. The book would go more into my first example than my second.
My third example would be when I meditate. There are moments of complete presence in my meditation where I'm fully engaged and absorbed. This one is harder to pinpoint on where exactly it fits, and I'll have to do some more thinking as to that aspect of it. However, this would be the example where I would most want to experience more frequently. There is something about those brief moments of bliss and being present. I do think it is possible to learn to enter this state of being given enough practice.
Do you have views about eastern approaches to happiness?
DeleteI think perhaps I may have tipped my hand to my views of eastern approaches to happiness in my response to “Can you be a genuinely happy individual in an unhappy society?”. I believe, along with many eastern traditions (buddhism, Daoism, many eastern “mystic” traditions etc…) that the path to happiness lies at least partly in letting go of certain attachments. Our attachments, our desires, and our models for the way we expect things should be, are very frequently the things which pull us away from happiness, and into suffering. This does not mean I believe you must become a renunciate and live in a monastery on top of a mountain, rejecting all earthly possessions and pleasures. To me, this means not being attached to, or identifying with your ego. That does not mean you become without desire, you simply allow the desires to come and go, without holding onto them. You avoid becoming identified with your desire. Much as water flowing through a stream, you have to allow your action to flow freely from you. We all know what it both looks and feels like to identify with, and be attached to your desires. Perhaps in school you feel that your value comes from achieving a certain grade, completing a certain degree, or achieving some sort of honors status. So you become identified with being a good student, you become attached to being intelligent, and when there is inevitably evidence that appears to counter these ideas of yourself, it causes suffering. Hopefully I am done at least a decent job of explaining this, my understanding of it is extremely rudimentary to say the least!
Can you be a genuinely happy individual in an unhappy society?
ReplyDeleteWhile I believe it would be easier to be genuinely happy in a happy society, it is definitely possible to be genuinely happy in an unhappy society. I think it is important for us to be able to separate us from our own society in order to function as people. Someone who is totally absorbed within the innerworkings of their own society may be blinded or put into an echo chamber of ideas. For example, an authoritarian's rule is made easier by not allowed its people to separate themselves from the society they are placed within. This is not to say one should alienate themselves from their society as doing so can come with its own problems. However, those around you do not have to dictate you.
Great post Tristan! I find that I agree with you as well, I believe there can be happy people in an unhappy society. I think that individuals must be in control of their own life and emotions before they begin to associate their life and emotions with societies ideas of what life and happiness should look like. I think many citizens would claim that the United States is not in the "happiest" spot it has ever been in its more than 200 years of history. However, there are still people who are incredibly happy, and live every day to its fullest.
DeleteHow important is health, and healthcare, in your conception of happiness? 7
ReplyDeleteI think that health and healthcare are both important in my own conception of happiness. Being under constant medical constraints whether that be personal health issues, medical bill issues, diseases, global pandemics, etc. can be a very stressful situation to be in, in life. Most of the time in my life, when I am living a healthier lifestyle (i.e., working out, eating healthy, going outside, reading more, etc.) I find that I feel physically better, mentally stronger, and emotionally more available. Having health induced complications can potentially cause worry, stress, and even deeper mental health issues. Overall, I have found myself to be in a better state overall when I am focusing on my personal health and wellbeing, and therefore, I feel health plays strongly into my conception of happiness.
Healthcare, while different to health in general, I think plays more of a role as a safety blanket to my conception of happiness. Life is incredibly unpredictable, and at a moment's notice someone can have a heart attack, be diagnosed with cancer, or any other multitude of serous health issues. I think that having a healthcare plan, specifically a universal healthcare plan, is a great counterbalance to this unpredictability in life. While yes, a good healthcare plan may help to prevent sickness and disease, it cannot all around dispel it. However, knowing that all of your medical bills and expenses are paid for is in incredible relief. One should not have to battle cancer and thousands of pounds of medical debt at once. Therefore, I feel healthcare does play an important role in my conception of happiness and preventing potential harm to my happiness.
Do you think many poor communities are happier than the average college student?
ReplyDeleteIn high school I had the oppertunity to travel to Constanza in the Dominican Republic for a week to provide aid to the underserved communites. We helped paint classrooms and finish sporting areas for the kids to play. Additionally, a part of the school contained an orphanage so we got to talk/play with the children and understand their way of living as they gave us a tour of their small house.
These children were extraordinarily grateful to have a roof over their heads, food consistently prepared for them by their mother/father figures, and an education through the school. They were some of the most respectful and happy children despite all they do not have. Most importantly, they wanted to connect with you through the absence of technology.
Technology in Constanza is not as readily available as it is in the United States. Consistently, there is always a new "thing" to chase on a material level. Importantly, these orphans have found happiness in what little they have. It really shocked me because I realize all that I have taken for granted and that how much you have will not contribute to how happy you are.
Another test
ReplyDeleteWho's the happiest person you know? What have you learned from observing them?
ReplyDeleteMy dad is the happiest person I know. This is because he caries within him an unshakable faith in Jesus Christ that I myself do not possess. He doesn’t allow anything in this world to faze him because he knows where he is going after he dies. He knows that this world is not the end. He does not live for himself, instead, he lives for the Lord. This faith is the basis of his happiness. Since his happiness is not attached to anything of this world, it is not swayed or broken down when things of this world inevitably fade away. His hope lies in something greater than anything this world could have to offer. Sometimes, I wish I too could believe in something so unquestionably.
https://open.spotify.com/show/2Shpxw7dPoxRJCdfFXTWLE?si=ncIMWk9qQ36oSi6ELLHP9A
ReplyDeleteThis is a podcast that I have been following for a long time that has been super beneficial in the growth of both philosophy and history alike. You should check it out!
Possible discussion question that I gleaned from the reading for today— in chapter 2, the author talks about a cause of unhappiness being that someone is not at home in their life. What does this mean? Do you think it is a conscious or unconscious decision? Have you ever felt this way? Describe what it felt like if you have.
ReplyDeleteLast post was mine
ReplyDelete(How do you manage your bad moods? Does it work for you to try and ignore them, and just get on with your day? Or have you learned the Stoic/Vulcan art of distancing yourself from all moods? Is it possible to achieve selective distancing, drawing closer to happy moods and away from bad ones?)
ReplyDeleteIn the past, I would manage my bad moods by refusing to feel anything. In my experience, this isn't really a healthy way to live. In doing so, I was never happy in any capacity because I could never feel anything. As an adult, I manage these feelings by engaging with them. I go on long drives, just so that I can think about how I'm feeling, and what it is that made me feel this way. It's been a great way to achieve a healthier state of mind and a more progressed emotional maturity. I don't believe that it's possible to selectively distance oneself from feelings. Human beings are inherently feeling creatures, and the only real way to stop a feeling from getting through is by shutting down entirely.
("Life is good" - agree? What hypothetical circumstances in your life do you imagine might reverse your opinion?)
ReplyDeleteI believe that it really just depends on one's own definition of good. I personally feel that life has the potential to be good or bad, and it's not exclusively one or the other. Life simply is what it is and the way in which you engage with that experience is what defines the quality of it. I believe my opinion could be reversed if my life had been entirely good or bad for the whole duration that I lived.
(Do you ever experience "flow," when your absorption in a task makes the experience of the passage of time drop away? Did you experience that more when younger? (Could that be what the poet Wordsworth was talking about when he referred to intimations of immortality in childhood?))
ReplyDeleteI do experience this flow in some capacity. I've been diagnosed with ADHD, so it is fairly rare for me to experience this. Weirdly enough, I actually feel as though it was a lot rarer when I was a child. I believe that I have found better methods and techniques that help me reign in my focus as I've gotten older.