I'm Dr. Oliver, teacher of this course in alternative Fall semesters at MTSU for many moons now.
I, like Thomas Jefferson, think the pursuit of happiness in the broadest sense (which includes something like the old Greek notions of virtue and excellence) is a human birthright, though that's not to say it's always easy to achieve. Its conditions are worth studying, to enhance its pursuit.
Who are you? Why are you here? Are you happy? What do you consider the conditions of your and others' happiness? (For me, the pursuit involves family, friends, baseball, books, dogs, health of course...)
Click on the comments tab below and share your thoughts. Whoever goes first second will be rewarded with a bit of swag on Opening Day. (Gary's already posted his introduction, and he already has all the swag. But you can have more if you want, Gary.)
See you all on the 26th!
My 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 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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. These are some of the conditions that lead to happiness for me. I am looking forward to, this my second time, attending the Philosophy of Happiness class.
Hey Gary, glad to see you in another class. Can't wait to hear your thoughts in this class.
DeleteWelcome back, Gary. (Gary has been gracing my classes for a few years now, and always has interesting and insightful things to say based on a lifetime of close attention to the human condition.)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Gary, I recently was introduced to a comedian from Mt. Juliet. Do you know of Nate Bargatze? He's very funny. Says he used to be a meter reader... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_Bargatze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLeq0nHP2Sw
DeleteMy name is Michael Woolery. My wife and I have a 2 year old daughter, and a son on the way (due Dec. 17th). I have been working in the IT industry for almost 11 years, and I am looking to completely change careers through pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology.
ReplyDeleteI am here because philosophy is one of my minors, and the course was intriguing. I would consider myself to be a stoic individual -- thinking logically rather than emotionally, highly introspective and self-aware, I control what can be controlled and accept what cannot, I run toward problems rather than away, and so on. All of that to say: I consider myself to be happy, but my happiness doesn't rely on the feeling of being happy.
For me, happiness is both inward and outward peace. For me, inner peace comes from having met my wife and daughters needs, being a good father, being in control of my emotions rather than being controlled by them, deep/critical thinking about my life and who I am now/who I want to be/how to achieve it, etc. I learned a long time ago that if I value happiness on whether I actively feel the emotion, then I will be chasing a dragon for the rest of my life. That's not to say that I don't cherish the feeling of being happy, but whether I feel it is not the baseline I use to measure my happiness.
DeleteHappiness in the philosophical sense, stoic or otherwise, is definitely more than a feeling. Your life sounds like a flourishing one in the old Greek sense, Michael, not hostage to the fleeting feeling of the moment and not in futile pursuit of “dragons”… I’m at least half with you, I call myself a stoic pragmatist.
Hey guys! My name is May Gaines, I'm a sophomore here (graduating class of 28) at MTSU! I'm super involved on campus, or at least try to be, so you'll probably see me around outside of class! I'm double majoring in Psychology and Philosophy and decided to add philosophy as a major after taking an introduction to philosophy class last semester and absolutely loving it! I think this class is going to be super helpful to me to be able to learn more about happiness. I've been a life-long thinker, constantly questioning things around me, especially emotions and what makes people feel the way they do. I think like a lot of things in philosophy, happiness is subjective, so I'm interested to learn about what makes people happy, what they define as their version of happiness, and what that looks like to them. I hope that this class can help me look more introspectively at happiness so I can apply that and better myself! So excited to meet all of you guys!
ReplyDeleteI’d say it’s inter-subjective, which may be as close to objectivity as we can get. That is, we may differ in our specific objects of happiness, but we tend to be strikingly similar In the overall shape and structure of it. So psychologists have told us quite a lot about the conditions of our happiness. And pluralist philosophers have encouraged us to learn from one another. So I think your double major makes perfect sense.
DeleteMy name is Amanda Burbage and I'm a junior majoring in both Psychology and Philosophy. This class is really intriguing to me because I don't think a lot of people stop and question what happiness is, even though it differs from person to person. I enjoy taking philosophy classes because I always end up learning more about myself and my beliefs by questioning things I usually take for granted, so I am excited to see how my mindset changes throughout this semester.
ReplyDeleteI would say that happiness comes from leading a fulfilling life by making choices and being around people that give you energy rather than drain you of it. I don't think that this means that people should never challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zones, because a little stress can be very healthy and is what helps you grow as a person. But when you live in a constant state of anxiety, you cannot be truly happy. I really do swear by Maslow's hierarchy of needs; you have to have all your physical and emotional needs met first before you can consider anything else. Happiness comes after feeling safe, secure, and having strong connections with the people around you. Realizing your true potential and becoming the best version of yourself is the ultimate goal in life (in my opinion), and as long as that's not completely impossible, I would like to keep striving towards it in the hope that I can find happiness.
"Realizing your true potential and becoming the best version of yourself is the ultimate goal in life" - I'd agree that it's an important goal, but that it's better still to expand our focus beyond ourselves and seek to create a good society that h everyone's potential.
ReplyDeleteYou psychology-and-philosophy folks should start a club!
Interesting article on hyper-individualism in American culture:
DeleteIs Today’s Self-Help Teaching Everyone to Be a Jerk?
Draw boundaries. Protect your peace. Worry less about pleasing others. The prevailing (and best-selling) wisdom of the day encourages an inward turn. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/style/self-help-books-columns-readers.html?searchResultPosition=1
[Posted for Carol]
ReplyDeleteHello ! My name is Carol Edwards. I am here as a nontraditional student. This class sounded like something I needed more of.... Happiness!! I was hoping to learn ways to increase happiness when the dog days are upon me!! I will graduate this Fall. This will be my first class in person at MTSU..... !!! The timing was perfect! I cannot wait to connect in person. Happiness to me, is several different things, a nice cool day, the ocean, a breeze, a light heart, a laugh... and perhaps maybe several other chessy things that bring me joy. I cannot think of anything better than happiness!! I look forward to being in class!
Carol, somehow your post ended up in the wrong place: an old thread from an earlier class in 2021. So I've transplanted it for you.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your impending graduation!
And don't forget warm puppies.
Thanks Phil ! I was just looking for my post and I had thought maybe I messed up. I did find the older 2021 introductions.... ! I hope to not travel back in time too much this semester....in the blog that is!
DeleteHello! My name is Jacob Rampey, and I am a senior aiming to graduate this fall. I like playing video games, going on outdoor adventures, playing ultimate frisbee, and drumming. I am here because several of my other academic adventures did not turn out how I thought they would, but the finish line is within reach. I would consider myself happy, or at least find personal peace in the places I find myself in. While I have much to improve, I would consider the pursuit of happiness to be that of self-love, a sense of comfort, and patience. For me, such examples could be reading a book, playing certain video games, or taking walks. This also includes loving and adoring cats; I would be truly happier if I were to have one.
ReplyDeleteI’ll never understand cat people. But I accept them.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMy name is David Testerman. I’m a senior pursuing a degree in political science and philosophy. I’m here because I love philosophy. I love the exchange and refinement of ideas in search of the truth. I have been a very happy person, but this last year has been trying. Philosophy has become a reliable rudder for navigating other confusing areas of life and I’m excited to see how this class helps me demystify happiness. Because each person has their own specific conditions for happiness, autonomy must play a role in reaching happiness. Our basic needs probably need to be met to achieve happiness, lasting happiness anyway. A sense of belonging and contribution to the community is a condition of my happiness. I suspect other people also need to feel connected to their community to be happy.
And one hopes that communities of scoundrels are collectively less happy than communities of virtuous people.
DeleteI am Jonathan Haycraft. I'm here because I'm a creative writing major and I think that being well-versed in philosophical concepts will aid me in my writing and help me create more believable characters. I would say that I am happy even though I am cautious and aware of many of the dangers that I face as a Gen-Z-er (Climate change, war, collapse of democracy, AI, etc.). I think happiness is conditional in that we all need satisfaction and purpose in some way; even if some say they are happy with being purposeless or unsatisfied, being that way is what gives them purpose and satisfaction. To me, I am satisfied by love, pizza, and expression, and my purpose is to just be the best I can to allow myself and others to live better lives.
ReplyDeleteYes, the purposeless pessimist I’ve met seem to take great satisfaction in expressing their negativity. You could say it is their raison d’etre.
Delete*…pessimists-I’ve definitely met more than one.
DeleteMy name is Kendal Johnson. I'm a junior taking this class because I am majoring in philosophy, and it sounded interesting. I would say that happiness to me would be feeling safe and serene. There are other feelings that happiness can conjure up, like feelings of giddiness. But I think having a sense of peace knowing there are things in your life that can make you happy is what happiness is.
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DeleteAnd when you come to know that about yourself, It’s just a very short further step to recognize that others are similarly motivated… And that the greatest happiness is the most inclusive.
My name is Vuk Frye. I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in Biochemistry. Philosophy is my minor and I truly love the depth of experience each class brings. I also greatly enjoyed bioethics last semester so I figured this class would be equally enlightening. I would say that I am happy generally. For me happiness is good health and friends. Having a community, I think, is endemic to joy. I look forwards to meeting all of you!
ReplyDelete“Good health and friends” is at least halfway to Epicureanism. (And check out what Voltaire says in the sidebar.)
DeleteMy name is Adeline Lennon and I'm a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in neuroscience and philosophy! Happiness to me is contentment and peace regardless of circumstances. I went through a period of extreme unhappiness and I feel as if though it's better helped me understand what happiness is and what it means for me. Which usually comes in the form of connecting with others, feeling accomplished at the end of the day, and a good cappuccino with a pastry.
ReplyDeleteCoffee and baked goods are on my list too.
DeleteHi all, my name is Jayden Smith. I am a senior here at MTSU majoring in biology and philosophy. If you couldn't tell from that, one thing that makes me happy is learning new things! Specifically, I've always been fascinated with the natural world. That was my primary reason for pursuing a biology education. But I also learned that I love learning about the human condition and the way we think, so I decided to also learn philosophy.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I am happy. Other than school, I get happiness from my family, my girlfriend, being outside to appreciate nature, playing video games, and eating food. In the most general sense though, I think happiness for people comes primarily from the things that make us human. From fulfilling our most basic needs (according to Maslow, you can't be happy without these first) to more human things like family, community, love... things that help us succeed.
As Haybron’s first chapter points out, “basic needs” in many cultures are much more basic and simple than they have come to be in ours. Homo consumerensus is generally made a lot less happier By his stuff than he’s promised.
DeleteHello everyone! My name is Tyler Murray and I'm attending MTSU to pursue a degree in Philosophy. Initially, my prospects were to attain a Ph.D. and eventually become a Philosophy professor, but that goalpost has widened into other career possibilities for a few reasons: 1) I'm hitting my mid-30's and need to access to health insurance ASAP; 2) the transition from a successful entrepreneurial life to a modest academic income is becoming less appealing as my savings dwindle; and 3) because the rapid evolution of AI has left me uncertain for the future of academia. Since career choice is paramount to the pursuit of happiness, this decision weighs heavily on my soul.
ReplyDeleteBut, am I happy?
That's a hard question for me to answer comprehensively. I didn't join this class to figure out how to sustain or enhance personal or societal happiness, but to understand exactly what happiness *is*. From my own cynical and self-proclaimed objective viewpoint, I struggle to identify a singular feeling, essence, or state of mind as "happy." The harder I try, the more it seems like a fleeting emotion, not unlike suffering.
This leads me to think that happiness isn't necessarily a state devoid of suffering but rather an acceptance of it as an experience with an equal value to pleasure.
“I didn't join this class to figure out how to sustain or enhance personal or societal happiness, but to understand exactly what happiness *is*.”’
DeleteWell, I think it’s a two for one deal. And I think Monty Python answered the question in The Meaning of Life (See sidebar).
Hi! I'm Rhys Stephens, a sophomore and yet another psychology/philosophy combo student. I'm also a militant cat person, and from that can everything about me be derived.
ReplyDeleteAt the time I enrolled for this class, my reasoning was that it seemed less daunting for a second-year than something like bioethics (what a terrifying name), but my interest in happiness was mild. Over the summer, I think I've come to reconsider what happiness means and that's resulted in a renewed passion for the subject (just in time for the semester!).
It's difficult to say whether I'm happy because I'm not certain what true happiness really is. I've heard it said that happiness is measurable, a confluence of certain neurotransmitters and electric impulses coursing through a fleshly medium - only I don't know if I can trust such an abstraction. At times, my brain has been happy, but I've still been aware of an underpinning sobriety that causes me to fear the happiness' cessation. As a result, I try to fix what's already become a memory - perceiving the end of the happiness in its beginning - and that produces suffering. I've also heard it said that the inward nature of the mind is happiness and unhappiness is just a dark cloud floating across the immutably blue sky of the mind, but I haven't experienced that yet, so I can't claim to have that kind of empirical, intimate understanding.
All that to say: I think I can best point to what I understand to be true happiness by detailing its conditions. These days, I'm less and less convinced that true happiness can exist in an individual - that is, that it can begin and end in one's individual self. We do virtuous (gentle, kind) actions to others because, at least in part, we perceive others (our bonds with them) to be indestructible (the son, distraught because he couldn't apologize to his mother before she died); since "I" will fade in time, we seek the indestructible in others.
I'm sorry that I can't express this better. I recently came across a retelling of the origin of the constellation Scorpio that pretty much sums up my views. Succinctly: a scorpion has spent its whole life preying on rodents in a desert field. One day, a weasel chases the scorpion as its prey. The scorpion, desperate to escape, accidentally falls down a well. As it drowns, alone, it thinks to itself: "All these years of life given to me by my prey and, at the end, I refused to become sustenance for another? Instead choosing to die down here where my life is of no good to anyone?" It proceeds to pray that its next life may be spent giving itself to others - then, its body bursts into flame, forever emblazoned on the night sky.
In other words, I think true happiness might consist of concern for others. Even if the body becomes tired, the heart is hale and rosy. If we're all weary with hearts peering outward, humans will unconsciously huddle together for warmth, and that's the sort of world I wouldn't mind living in.
What form does your cat militancy take?
Delete“Bioethics” just means life ethics. Which of those two words is terrifying?
I agree, with you and the others who said the community is crucial to human well-being. Concern for others, and the recognition that they really aren’t so “other,” is a big part of it. Plus the small stuff.
Hello! My name is Sophie Duffy. I am a senior at MTSU, and will be graduating in the Spring of 2026 with my bachelors in Psychology. After this, my plan is to go to Gonzaga to get my masters in behavior analysis. I have worked as an RBT for a year and a half now, and it is the most fulfilling job I could have ever imagined. I work with kids with autism and teaching them new skills. This career definitely makes me very happy. Though it is obviously a very stressful job, it is so worth it. I would consider myself to be an overall happy person. I am someone, though, that a lot of my emotions depend on the people around me. Things that make me happy are my dogs, my friends, my nephew, my family, my job, and learning new things.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound like extremely challenging, but also extremely rewarding work. All such kids deserve such a teacher.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! My name is Landon and I am Junior with a major in Chemistry! This is my first year at MTSU and it is going pretty good so far. I went to Motlow Community College for my first two years and I would say that there is definitely a lot more walking at this school than my other. I am majoring in Chemistry because I would like to go into the dental field and eventually into Orthodontics. I am very aware about the amount of school that it requires, but I am a very patient person (most of the time) and I think it will be rewarding/worth it in the end. I have some hobbies that include anything to do with art. I like to draw more than anything and I love music. I haven't gotten back into art recently due to my busy schedule, especially with school and work. However, I will try my best to get back on track with it. I chose this course because I have been interested in keeping a more open mind and learning more about how to achieve a happy and healthy lifestyle. I am the biggest overthinker, so I hope this course can ease how I think a little better. I look forward to learning more about it this semester!
ReplyDeleteWho are you [1]? Why are you here [2]? Are you happy [3]? What do you consider the conditions of your and others' happiness [4]?
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm Basil Lozano [1]. Although I haven't read them, I enjoy Dr. Arthur Brooks' and Dr. Laurie Santos' work in their respective "Philosophy of Happiness" per the material that they distribute online (i.e., podcasts, talks, etc.) and I wanted to know what MTSU had to offer in their course on the same topic. Additionally, I entered into Philosophy through Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle and The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and they had a lot of practical advice while I was growing up so I wonder how that material will mesh with this course [2]. I don't think happiness is my goal per se, unless I twist that in a Thomistic sense to be in union with God (Deification per the Western tradition, or Theosis as I am a Byzantine Catholic), but I would consider myself 'happy'; I think love is the goal and I'm growing towards that end [3]. Practically speaking, and I'm stealing this from Arthur Brooks, Faith, Family, Friends, and Work^. In my particular philosophical schema, [note: I pondered for quite a bit here, but couldn't find a better encapsulation] willing the good of the other, which I'm stealing from Aquinas*, I would elaborate but this is an introduction and you get this entire semester to get to know me [4].
___________
[*]“'Of course, for Aquinas to love means to consistently will and choose the good of the other. To love neighbor as self means seeing their sharing in the good as constitutive of your own sharing in the good. To love God, whose good we cannot will strictly speaking — as He is purely actualized good itself — is to love what God loves, which, of course, is the neighbor’s good. So we come full circle.'”
Short Article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/to-will-the-good-of-the-other/
___________
[^] "The happiest people I know pay attention to four things every day:
• Something transcendent: faith, philosophy, or the beauty of nature
• Family: the bond that grounds and anchors us
• Friendship: not for utility, but for love
• Work: where meaning comes from earning your success
Happiness isn’t found in distraction. It’s found in devotion."
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