...That Is Your Choice. Over the past decade, the concept of happiness has enjoyed much resonance among researchers. Economists and psychologists have made tremendous strides in determining the best measures of happiness, ways to increase happiness, and why happiness is important. Marketers have been working under the assumption that promising happiness will pull consumers to their products, but happiness is not something you promise, cultivate, or measure. Happiness is a choice. Particularly in the face of the struggling economy, advertisers have increasingly looked to connect with consumers on a simpler and fundamental level by promising happiness. For example, Nesquik claims, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can drink it.” Dunkin’ Donuts promotes a breakfast sandwich as “The happiest sandwich on Earth.” Through intentional campaigns, marketers have also sought to cultivate happiness. Coca-Cola launched the “Open Happiness” campaign, which recognizes life’s simple pleasures and encourages consumers to take a small break from the day to connect and share happiness with others. BMW developed a “Stories of Joy” global communication campaign that hosts consumer-created videos highlighting the joy of driving. However, happiness is not a product that can be bought; it is a constant choice in choosing to be happy in every circumstance. There are also innumerable attempts and theories in psychology about happiness to explain the nature of reason for formulating happiness. The "What...
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...which means by observing similar past events people are able to predict what may happen in their future. As a result of learning from past events a person would therefore be able to make a choice that would bring maximum utility in future occasions. "Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure" (p.412). Mill believes that looking at the motives behind an action are needed to find the source of why a certain choice was made, but the source does not always explain the action, because even though a person may be good morally they may do a wrongful action, even though they may or may not have been acting with the best of motives. However, that person can always get maximum utility (happiness) if it follows the theory of utilitarianism. Ignorance is not always bliss; following mills theory is necessity for reaching maximum utility, but in order to follow it, one must understand it. Mill’s utilitarianism is the most well-structured theory that will help people achieve maximum utility if followed correctly because it provides a logical steppingstone system that would provide a person a choice. Whether that choice be moral or immoral it is used to...
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...daughter’s bedroom? Utilitarianism If Donna wants to make the decision that would be in everyone’s best interest, she would make the decision using the theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the moral theory that is based on the results of decisions to choose what would cause the most pleasure or the least amount of pain. These decisions should cause the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. An individual’s happiness is no more important that the happiness of someone else and the happiness of the group is most important. If the result of the decision causes more happiness or less pain, then it was a good moral decision (Mill, 2004). According to Scarre, Mill’s believed, “the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Scare, 1996, p. 91). Is it possible to know if the decision created the desired result? Quantitative Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham believed that the results of ethical decisions could be measured. He developed a formula to determine the happiness quotient of the results which is the basis of Quantitative Utilitarianism. Bentham...
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...building block of one’s moral beliefs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the “Classical Theories of Morality” and the relevance of these theories to cultural identity. Aristotle’s theory suggests that every action is aimed at some good and good is the object of these actions. Aristotle defines the good as happiness (Kucukuysal and Beyhan, 2011). Happiness and good are synonymous across cultures with living well. However, culture defines the meaning of happiness at different points in ones life. Ones perception of happiness can be quite different from another’s (Scalet and Arthur, 2014). For example, one may define happiness through wealth and success and another may define happiness, not on the material things they own but the family they have and the choices they have made through life. Aristotle also suggests happiness conforms to goodness of virtue (Kucukuysal and Beyhan, 2011). To be happy and good, one must make the right choices. Virtue is taught and learned. The ability to define happiness and decide what is virtuous is an individual choice based upon life teachings and experience. In order to make someone else happy, you must be happy with yourself. Life’s choices, treatment of others should be made with the best of intentions and cause no harm to others. Scalet and Arthur (2014) have suggested the quality of life is determined by activities and that a happy person will never do what is hateful and mean but will live life with dignity and always do what is best. Kant’s...
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...Aristotle As I get to understand Aristotle and his understandings I see that his whole perspective is that every human’s goal in life is to achieve ultimate happiness. Happiness is what all of our ultimate goals are, Aristotle saw it as a simple thing that could be in some cases hard to achieve because you have to bring into play pleasure as well. He insisted that at least minimum pleasure was required for ultimate happiness. Because although happiness is desired for itself it is not used to obtain the other aspects in life. The true meaning of life is reaching the ultimate happiness according to Aristotle. But how is this done? What happens if it’s not reached? According to Aristotle’s there are two dimensions in this process, of which is intellectual virtue and moral virtue. Intellectual virtue is defined as excellence of intelligence. In many cases intellectual virtue is seen as an acceptance of reality, but in a good way. It is something that is learned. A person with intellectual virtue is someone who is not tempted to do bad in society or harm anybody. They are here to do good and that is it, they see everything in a positive manner. A moral virtue is defined as excellence of character through choices. Moral virtue is an example of a person that makes good choices out of good faith. Now this does not mean a person that does favors but they end up being bad. It’s as if a mechanic were to fix your car for free and a couple of days later it all breaks down. Now the mechanic...
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...Does money bring us happiness? Sharon Bogley is an author whom writes about science for publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. Accordingly to her the correlation between wealth and happiness is very complex. It all depends on the situation that they are in. Bogley believes that once basic needs are met then other stuff such as social relationships and satisfaction at work become more important in life. Bogley provides many examples of different situations in her passage, “Money and Happiness” for instance; economists believe that more money you have, the happier you must be. The question then arises is the economist bias? Since his or her job is revolved around the effect and worth of money, it may influence his views between the relationship of money and happiness. This example is very situational because he or she is obviously going to favor money equals happiness for the reason that without the presence of money his or her job is meaningless....
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...emotion and passion. This statement is a matter of theory because Aristotle feels as if younger individuals cannot make rational decisions or moral choice because they lack the knowledge and experience to make these decisions. I believe that this theory has its truths due to the way that Aristotle feels it relates to certain situations, like someone being a judge and making rulings of matters in which they have had previously made decisions upon. He believes that this knowledge judge will make a more ethical decision because he has been in this situation before while a young judge who is making a ruling on the same case for the first time believes that he would be incapable of making a morally ethical decision because he has no prior knowledge of this matter. Aristotle defines happiness as actions that are pleasant to a virtuous man. Which he believes that anyone can create happiness if they are serving their purpose in life every day and making decisions that are good for the specific job in this world. To give an example of this would be if a judge was making good ethical decisions on every ruling that he/she rules upon. To Aristotle the end of this judge’s life would create happiness as long as they are continuing to make moral decisions every time they rule. As long as this judge functions to their highest ability then happiness should be felt by this individual. I believe that this statement leads to the thought that every person will always make morally ethical decisions...
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...essay, I will argue for why this objection is unsound and does not prove that hedonism is false. Axiological hedonism is the philosophical theory that is based on the idea that the only thing in this world that is intrinsically good for its own sake is happiness. This is different from the theory of psychological hedonism, which says that the only thing humans are physically able to desire for its own sake is happiness. First developed by Epicurus and later revised by John Stuart Mill along with many others, the theory of axiological hedonism uses a distinction between what philosophers call instrumental goods and things that are intrinsically valuable to illustrate its claim. Instrumental goods are any things in the world that are valuable because of the good things they bring about. Things that are intrinsically valuable on the other hand, are things that are inherently good for their own sake. Axiological hedonism claims that happiness is the only thing that is intrinsically valuable. The argument for axiological hedonisms is roughly as follows: 1. Happiness is the only thing we desire for its own sake. 2. Something is good (for us) for its own sake only if we desire it for its own sake. 3. Therefore, happiness is the only thing that is good for its own sake. One of the major objections towards hedonism involves the idea of looking at life trajectories. The objection attacks the part of hedonism that relates to the quality of...
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...simply to find the ultimate purpose of human life, once again demonstrating his emphasis on teleology. Ethics falls under the category of practical sciences, since its concern is not knowledge for its own sake but rather for the purpose of application. Aristotle first recognizes that happiness is the ultimate good, since all other goods are intermediate while happiness is final. We pursue other goods to achieve happiness, but happiness is valuable in itself. The problem then becomes the question of how to achieve happiness. Pleasure is undeniably the motivation behind many actions, but it puts humans on the level of animals. Honor is another possibility, but it places too much emphasis on the praise of others. Aristotle concludes that the means of happiness–and hence the purpose of human existence–is virtue. Virtue involves habit and choice. By making the proper decisions, we eventually develop a virtuous habit or disposition, so that we need not run through the catalogue of options every time a moral dilemma presents itself. Rather, we act according to our disposition, which has been cultivated by past choices. The question then arises: how do we make the right choices? For Aristotle, the virtuous choice was the mean between two extremes: excess and defect. For example, between profligacy and insensibility there lies self-discipline; between obsequiousness and coldness there lies friendliness. Aristotle goes on to discuss the concept of justice, of which he recognized two forms:...
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...is one of the principles on which Utilitarianism is based. They focus on the consequences/result which any action might have. Thus, in order to make correct moral choices, we have to have some understanding of what will result from our choices. When we make choices which result in the correct consequences, then we are acting morally; when we make choices which result in the incorrect consequences, then we are acting immorally. A deontological approach is the opposite to this because it focuses on the act itself. Utilitarianism is an example of a teleological theory because an action's morality is based on whether its consequence brings the Greatest Happiness. This Greatest Happiness Principle or the Principle of Utility, or the ‘The greatest happiness for the greatest number’ is the main principle of a number of ethical theories that fall under the umbrella of ‘Utilitarianism’. It was Jeremy Bentham who first developed these general principles into fully articulated theory. It was he who introduced the principle of utility to refer only to individual actions by individuals, its simple mesHe defined ‘Good’ in terms of pleasure or happiness — so an act is right or wrong according to the good or bad that results from the act and the good act is the most pleasurable. Therefore, if an abortion brought more happiness than sadness, under Bentham’s thinking it would be the right thing to dosage being that the more...
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...morally right or wrong. Thus, a believer of utilitarianism would say that the outcomes of the actions that is deemed morally right would be good. The theory says that people choose actions that help in maximizing happiness and at the same time remove misery, pain and agony. The worth of any human action depends upon its utility or value. Now with the view on Kantianism was put forward by Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher he focused on the duty he believed his philosophy take the position that the morality of an action is dependent upon whether the individual has adhered to the rules or not. Here are some points or highlights why Kantianism vs. utilitarianism. * Attitude towards what is right or wrong is what constitutes the basic difference between utilitarianism and Kantianism. * Utilitarianism says that an act is justified if maximum numbers of people are deriving happiness out of it. This simply means that end justifies means. And that act is justified if the end is happiness for all. On the other hand, Kantianism says that the end does not justify means. Whatever we do inside our obligations is morally good. * Lying is universally wrong and thus is wrong in Kantianism too. However, under Utilitarianism, lying is OK if it brings pleasure and happiness to most of people....
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...People will spend most of their lives looking and waiting for happiness. We convince ourselves that the right career, the right life choices, and the right relationships will open the gates to happiness. Most people are misled, and they do not know what actually will bring them real happiness until they experience it first-hand. Happiness does not just happen with no work; you have to work towards it. It is something that has to be pursued on a constant level throughout our lives. After reading the articles on happiness, choices in life, and experienced well-being I have come to realize a few significant points that could point towards being happier and coming closer to actual happiness. Happiness can reached in a number of ways, and there are many steps that people can take to increase happiness in their own lives regardless of their background or the situations they find themselves in. In the first article we read named “The Smiling Professor”, Claudia Dreifus is interviewing a psychologist named Dan Gilbert. Dan Gilbert has spent his career studying the nature of human happiness. To many people Dan Gilbert is known as “Professor Happiness”. Throughout this interview Gilbert tends to refer to happiness as something that will happen to our future selves. When asked how predicting our feelings of future events could relate to understanding happiness Gilbert states “Because if we can’t predict how we’d react in the future, we can’t set realistic goals for ourselves or figure...
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...makes a selfless decision which could have very well cost him his life. We need to take under consideration that this time around, his life is a gift from a victim who was murdered and this time is possibly his last chance at life. When analyzing McCaleb, we must consider his living medical condition, potential terminal risks that come with receiving a heart transplant, and his personal struggle to fight rejection of his peers. Even though aware of all disadvantages involved in proceeding with his decision to pursue the killer, McCaleb acts out of duty towards other people disregarding all and any consequences. Kant believed that the real character of people is seen at times when their decisions are hanging in a fine line between different choices. For Kant, a person’s temperament and nature would prevail on the road taken. “It is just then that the worth of this character comes out, which is moral and incomparably the highest, namely, that he is beneficent not from inclination but from duty….”(Pg. 356 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of morals, Immanuel Kant) All throughout the movie, there are other multiple Deontological dilemmas that McCaleb encounters. McCaleb seems to take the Categorical Imperative route almost every time. In the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the...
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... Happiness and Virtuous Life Knowledge is, the understanding of things in which we learn through our life experiences and through the most general truth of art and science. Wisdom however, consists of understanding the fundamental principles and causes of life. Moreover, Aristotle argues that the ultimate goal of life is “living well,” which is happiness. There are multiple activities we participate in as human beings either to stay alive such as eating, drinking, exercising, or to make life easier or better somehow. For example, thinking, learning, and educating ourselves is not just to stay alive but most importantly to live an enhanced life. To Aristotle, “living well” is the ultimate goal of life, because we participate in several physical and mental activities in our life time in the purpose of fulfilling the requirements that leads us to that well life, but not in the purpose of achieving further goals in life. According to Aristotle, “All men by nature desire to know.” There are a lot of things that we do as human beings, such as feelings, thinking, and reasoning. These are things we desire in this world or believe that they are good in seeking some goals in life. Everyone desires to know or to understand something in his or her lifetime. Everyone is searching for particular rational explanation of something. And we do these things either to stay alive or to “live well”. To Aristotle, living well is happiness and that is what we all are seeking. Happiness to Aristotle...
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...25 April 2014 Authentic Happiness We began this course with the question “What is happiness? and Can we all achieve authentic Happiness? In our life we are taught many things, but we are not taught how to achieve our own happiness. Over the last five weeks we truly learned what happiness is and I believe we all can achieve authentic happiness in our life. In Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman uses happiness and well being as the terms to describe the goals of Positive Psychology. The desired outcome of Positive Psychology is happiness and well being. We learned from this course how to embrace both our positive feelings and activities to achieve authentic Happiness. Happiness as defined in the dictionary, is a feeling of luck, fortune, and contentment. Happiness is the component of two separate aspects, life satisfaction as a whole and moment to moment moods. I can be satisfied with my overall life, yet still have moments when I am not happy. Or I could be dissatisfied with my current circumstance and wish for change, but still have many moments of joy throughout the day. The challenge most of face is in raising the level of happiness is how to increase the number of momentary positive feelings and how to sustain them. We are taught to believe that it is our circumstances influence our level of contentment, we learned from this course our behavior and thoughts can offset our level of happiness. Happiness may be influenced by our circumstances, but it isn’t dependent on...
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