Mike Glenn
Professor Lehe: Philosophy 100
Major Paper #1
4-22-11
What is Happiness? Many people wonder how famous, wealthy, and icons of pop culture, who have everything anyone could ever want, are not truly happy people. These people possess power, fame, and money. If those things do not provide happiness, then what does? Also, there are the people like Ghandi and Jesus who had very little or nothing and still were happy. They had inner peace and happiness that led them to become moral figures for the people of our generation. These people who had almost nothing somehow possessed happiness. This brings about questions like, “What is happiness?” and, “What do people need to do in order to be happy?” I believe in order to possess happiness one needs to live a life in accordance with virtue; a life that Aristotle said would lead to happiness. In this essay I will state and talk about some different views of happiness and moral goodness. I will also summarize my true opinion of what happiness is and what way of life I believe one should live. First, Hedonism or the Principle of Utility, a philosophy that Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill live according to, says that pleasure is good and will lead to happiness. They believe that if you avoid pain and maximize pleasure that you will gain happiness. The Greatest Happiness principle states that one should approve or disapprove of an action based on the amount of pain and pleasure brought about for all people affected by the action. One should consider the consequences and consider the alternatives before deciding that the action will create the greatest happiness for everyone involved. Bentham did not differentiate the different pleasures, but Mill makes it a point to say that there are different levels of pleasures and certain pleasures rank higher than simple ones. Specifically he says that intellectual pleasures are greater than sensual pleasures. He even goes as far to say that “it is better to be an unsatisfied human being than a satisfied pig”. On the surface this seems like a valuable theory that would lead to happiness. This theory however leaves out morality and says that pleasure is the quickest way to happiness. There are many problems that could arise for someone who lives in accordance with this theory. For example, the drug addict who tries to get pleasure through doing heroin would be leading an unhappy life. He would be happy for however the high lasted, but would never gain true happiness. Another example of this would be in deciding whose life to take in extreme situations. Take a scenario where 6 people are held hostage by a terrorist and the only way he will let them go is if 1 person is killed in sacrifice for these 6 people. According to utility killing another person would result in the saving of 5 additional lives and therefore that would be the right decision to make. However, people have basic rights, including the right to life, and one should never be killed without consent. Next, Deontology as practiced by Immanuel Kant is the belief that we are obligated to do our duty even when it does not maximize happiness. Deontology states that good will is the highest good, and not happiness. People are obligated to act out of respect for moral law and should do the right thing because it is the right thing to do and only because it is the right thing to do. If one has any other motive to do the right thing, they gain no moral worth. An example of this would be the store owner who practices good business practices and charges fair prices to his customers, but his motive is that by doing that he will get more business. He would gain no moral worth, because his motive for doing the right thing is to get more business. In my opinion, there is one major flaw with this theory. I believe that it is important to do the right thing, however I do think that people should do what is best for themselves as well. Today’s world is one where the strongest and hungriest survive and the weak and people who have no drive fail. There are things in life that people need to have in order to be really happy. For example, people have responsibilities to fulfill such as pay bills and take care of their families. People also like to live lives of luxury as well. While, it is important to do the right thing more often than do the wrong thing, I think it is important to strive for excellence. The motives behind these actions and driving forces are not always to do the right thing. Lastly, Aristotle’s view of happiness is the closest to my personal view of happiness. He believes that the good is that at which all things aim. He believes, like most everybody else, that happiness is the supreme good. He believes that life of intellectual thought is best. Aristotle states that a completely good life is lived well to its completion, attaining goods that are essential to human flourishing, actualizing human potentialities. The first part of that prior statement to me means that people are to live without regret; they are to do things for the sake of doing them. The second part means that people need certain things to flourish in life. Examples of those are money, shelter, etc. The last part of the statement is for people to reach their full potential. They should try to gain as much knowledge as possible; they should try to be the best person they can be; they should reach their physical potential; they have one life, they should live it as best as they can. I completely agree with Aristotle’s point of view. He states that “happiness is the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue”. Human beings need to live life as best as they can and have fun, but they need to live lives of virtue. There is intellectual virtue and moral virtue and both are important to living the good life. Also, people need external and bodily goods to live a completely good life and to be truly happy. Being a handsome or attractive person with friends and a house would definitely contribute to a happier life. The thing that Aristotle states that is most important in his theory to me is that happiness is a whole life judgment. I feel that in order to say that one his happy, they are saying that they are happy with the life they live every single day. I could not agree with anything more than this. Happiness is not an emotion; it is a lifestyle in my opinion. The only thing I would add to his theory is that a spiritual life is necessary in order to live a life of happiness. In conclusion, happiness and moral worth are defined many different ways by many different people. Everyone has their own view of happiness. I most agree with Aristotle when it comes to living the good life and his view of happiness. Everyone should try to live a life of happiness and moral worth.