The Art of Being Human 7e Chapter 12

The Art of Being Human, 7/e Chapter 12 – HAPPINESS Power. Point by Julie Rodakowski © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

HEDONISM • Aristippus • Laertius To a HEDONIST, happiness is having all the pleasure one can obtain. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Assumptions of hedonism: • Everyone deserves as much pleasure as possible. • Pleasure is automatically good. • No amount of pleasure is ever too much. • The absence of pleasure is a misfortune for which compensation is due. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Hedonism Reconsidered: Hedonism has inspired three critical questions: 1. Is this philosophy based on an accurate view of human nature? 2. Is it accurate to assume that people are pleasure-loving at all times and in all places? 3. Is it self defeating to assume that happiness is the sum total of all possible pleasures? © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

EPICUREANISM • Epicurus To an EPICUREAN, happiness is freedom from all pain. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Assumptions of Epicureanism: • Nothing lasts forever, and we must accept this fact cheerfully. If we are to be happy, it is wiser to recognize that life will consist of things other than pleasure. • No one can sustain pleasure over prolonged periods of time. • We must, therefore, exert control and enjoy pleasure in moderation. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Epicureanism Reconsidered: Epicureanism has inspired two critical objections: 1. It has been accused of being as firmly rooted in self-interest as the philosophy from which it departs (hedonism). 2. It has been accused of creating people who are more interested in their own peace of mind than in social causes. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

STOICISM • Zeno • Epictetus To a STOIC, happiness is achieved by learning to curb desires and cope with the inevitability of pain. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Assumptions of Stoicism: • Pain is intrinsic to living, so we must learn to cope with it. • To find the roots of happiness, we must look inward. • Nothing is under control except the way we think about things. • Tranquility is worth any price. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Stoicism Reconsidered: Stoicism has also inspired critical commentary: 1. It is too convenient. 2. It is believed that its advocates secretly want everyone else to be as miserable as they are. 3. It is believed that what passes for reason by its advocates is really rationalization. 4. It is believed that it can inspire passivity because of the expectation of failure. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

ARISTOTLE’S IDEAS ON HAPPINESS © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Pleasure is a limited goal, but happiness is a complete goal. If we could reach a state in which nothing else could ever be desired, then we should have found the highest good, or what Aristotle calls the final good. This is the state of complete happiness, and it must be the goal and purpose of life. © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.

Is providing happiness the responsibility of a government? Aristotle believed that the institutions of human society (government, education, etc. ) exist for no reason other than to promote the end—the happiness of all—and the means to achieve that end. What are some modern expansions of Aristotle’s theory? Something for you to think about! © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. , publishing as Longman Publishers.