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, August 16, 2023

Syllabus 2023

(The syllabus is a constant work-in-progress, subject to change at the last minute; always consult the "Next" section in the upper right corner of our Home page for the latest revisions and other announcements.)

PHIL 3160 - The Philosophy of Happiness. Fall 2023: TTh 4:20--5:45 PM, JUB 204

phil.oliver@mtsu.edu. 300 James Union Building, 898-2050/(615) 525-7865 during office hours only. Phil Dept 898-2907

Office Hours: T/Th 2:30-4 pm & by appointment
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.
This course explores happiness from many angles, each time a little differently. In a previous semester we pondered whether there is a "secret" of life that conduces to human happiness and flourishing.  My conclusion then, and still my provisional view now: No, no Big Secrets. I’m a pragmatic pluralist and an admirer of Montaigne. "Que sçais-je?" (We read about him in '21.)

But that doesn't mean there's no insight to be gleaned from the philosophical study of happiness. There are plenty of little secrets and helpful stories to tell, and much happiness wisdom to learn.
One time our hook was meaning. To what extent can, may, or must the search for happiness coincide with the quest for a meaningful life?

A few semesters back our main focus was the history of what's been thought and said by philosophers about happiness, flourishing, delight, subjective well-being etc.

Time before last we looked into the Epicurean philosophy of happiness. We'll do that again this time, and at a remarkable long-term study of happiness at Harvard that seemed to vindicate the central Epicurean preoccupation with relationships (particularly friendship) as indispensable to happiness. 

We’ll all eventually sign on as co-contributing authors of the class blog. (We’re not using D2L.) Meanwhile, post comments, questions, links, etc. in the comments section of any relevant recent post. You'll need to post regularly, to "score" full participation credit. And you'll want to, once you see how much fun it is to participate.

TEXTS:
  • Happiness: A Very Short Introduction (Haybron) 978-0199590605
  • The Philosophy of Epicurus (Dover) 978-0486833033
  • The Good Life (Waldinger) 978-1668022597
  • Against Happiness (Flanagan et al) 978-0231209496
  • Four Thousand Weeks (Burkeman) 978-1250849359
RECOMMENDED: 

    FYI, TEXTS in '21:


Also recommended:

==

AUG

T 29- Introduce yourself in class and online (before next class) by replying to "Introductions": Who are you? Why are you here (in school, in a philosophy class, in middle Tennessee...? What's "happiness" to you? Are you actively pursuing it? How important is it to you, compared with other values ("success," "meaning," "character"...)? Do you have anything against happiness, as a personal or cultural aspiration?

FYI: These texts I recommend on the first day of my Intro classes might be of interest, especially if you've not previously studied much philosophy: William James, Pragmatism lecture 1; Gymnasiums of the Mind (on the Peripatetic philosophy);  Pale Blue Dot, & WATCH: Pale Blue Dot (Sagan). Also recommended, for general knowledge: What's Philosophy for? School of Life (SoL); LISTEN: What is Philosophy? and Who's Your Favourite Philosopher? (PB Philosophy Bites). And check out the This I Believe website, for examples of others' personal philosophies succinctly summarized.


31 Haybron 1-2



SEP

5 Haybron 3-4


7 Haybron 5-6


12 Haybron 7-8


14 Epicurus I-V.. Request/assign midterm report topics.


19 Epicurus VI-VII


21 Epicurus -p.156


26 Epicurus -p. 207... Midterm report presentations begin.


28 Waldinger 1-2 -p.53


OCT

3 Waldinger 3-4 -p.116


5 Waldinger 5-6 -p.164


10 Waldinger 7-8 -p.222


12 Waldinger 9-10, conclusion -p281. EXAM 1


FALL BREAK


19 Flanagan -p.42. Assign final report presentation topics; Author sign-up.


24 Flanagan 2-3 -p.95


26 Flanagan 4-7 -p.145


31 Flanagan 8-11 -p.202. Final report presentations begin



NOV

2 Flanagan 12-15 -p.248. PHIL and RS Open House/Pizza Party Nov 2, 2023 4:30pm – 5:30pm (CDT)
Where JUB 202... We'll begin there...


7 We're a day late... Burkeman Intro, 1-2   -p.55


9 Burkeman Intro, 1-2   -p.55 


14 Burkeman 3-6   -p.109 


16 Burkeman 7-9   -p.160 


21 Burkeman 10-13   -p.213

 

Thanksgiving


28 Burkeman 14, afterword, appendix   -p.245


30 Conclude final report presentations OR tba


DEC

5 Exam 2 (NOTE: Exam 2  is not a "final exam," it is the exam covering material since the previous exam.)


10 Final blogpost due (post earlier for constructive feedback). See note above on * Deadlines.




EXAMS. Two objective-format exams based on daily questions, each worth up to 25 points.

REPORTS. Midterm (10 minutes presentation), final blog post & presentation (1,000+ word minimum post... Worth up to 25 points each.

PARTICIPATION. Participation includes attendance and your full presence in class, as well as comments, research findings, and questions for discussion posted to our site prior to each class. No points formally allotted, but steady participation earns strong consideration for a higher final grade. (Hypothetically, for instance: say you earned a total of 88 points (of a possible 100) on the exams and reports. If you did not participate consistently and well, your course grade would be B+. If you did, it would be A.)

SCORECARDS. Because your professor is a baseball fan, we'll track participation with baseball scorecards adapted to the purpose. Come to class to get on 1st base. Post a pertinent comment or question for discussion prior to class to advance to 2d base. Same to move to 3d. To come home, post a pertinent research discovery, something we wouldn't have known from the day's assigned reading. Good places for quick online research include the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Philosophical Dictionary, and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. We'll learn about more when we visit the library (or they visit us...stay tuned).


JPO is on substack, instagram, threads... But, in the words of Not-the-Messiah Brian Cohen, "you don't need to follow me..."



FAQ-How do you grade?

"Well, I add up the grades for the essays, quizzes, the midterm and final. I average them out. Then I consult my stomach."

That's how someone else put it. I also consult my stomach, but never in a punitive way. I'll raise your final grade if your participation has been strong.

If you're tempted to complain about your B+, though, complain first to the administration which doesn't let us report an A- ...and read What Straight-A Students Get Wrong... "Academic grades rarely assess qualities like creativity, leadership and teamwork skills, or social, emotional and political intelligence. Yes, straight-A students master cramming information and regurgitating it on exams. But career success is rarely about finding the right solution to a problem — it’s more about finding the right problem to solve..."
==
"Solvitur ambulando"
==
A NOTE ON THE BLOG POST FORMAT: Midterm & final report blog posts should include appropriately-bloggish content: not just words, but also images, links, videos where relevant, etc.

A NOTE ON WORD COUNTS. 250 and 1,000 are minimums. Write more, if you've got more to say. Write a tome, if you've got one in you. But your main goal in writing for our course is always to be clear, to say what you mean, and to say things your classmates (and I) will want to respond to. Think of your weekly blog posts not as "papers" but as contributions to a conversation. And again, do think of them as blog posts, with links, graphics, videos. etc.
==
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If you drop this class, withdraw, or if you stop attending this class you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship, and you will not be able to regain eligibility at a later time.

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==
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