Continuing Education

Happiness

In this Great Topics course we are going to look at one of the perennial questions of history—What is the goal of life? In particular, we are going to look at a perennial answer to that question—Happiness.

Thinkers throughout history, from differing cultures, differing religions, and differing values have argued that ultimately, happiness is the point of it all. The 21st century shows no decrease of interest in happiness with an explosion of scientific research into the subject. In fact, no less than a surprising 90 of the first 100 books that show up from a search for “happiness” at Amazon.com are about how to achieve happiness, many focused on recent scientific research. Both as a powerful histori­cal and cross-cultural concern and as a contemporary absorption, happiness is a phenomenon and obsession worth exploring in detail.

But is happiness really the ultimate goal? Are there things other than happiness that we want out of life, or as Aristotle argues, is it the case that happiness is the only thing we try to achieve for itself rather than as a means to get something else? But even if happiness is the goal of life, what exactly is happiness? An emotion? A cognitive state? Characterized by pleasure? Content­ment? Tranquility? And then of course, if happiness is really so important, how do we actually get it? Is it some­thing we can will into being? Does it depend on luck? On genetics? On morality? On God’s grace?

In this course, we will address all these questions and to do so we will trace out the history of happiness through a variety of influential sources from philosophy, religion, literature, and science. Among the major works we will examine are Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics (happiness is the ultimate goal and is the result of self-taught virtue); Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy (happiness is a self-willed internal state independent of circumstances); Aquinas’ Treatise on Happiness (hap­piness is ultimate, though God is required for complete satisfaction); Mill’s Utilitarianism (happiness-seeking is a psychological fact and morality dictates maximizing hap­piness); Russell’s The Conquest of Happiness (happi­ness is achieved by rational, self-directed will rather than religious or contemplative experience, and requires res­ignation to unfulfilled desires); and Seligman’s Authentic Happiness (scientific research shows that happiness can be achieved through self-directed cognitive restructuring of our minds).

A class in both intellectual history and very real-world practical knowledge on how to live a good life, this course will challenge and inform, doing what a truly Great Topics subject should do—help us figure out what is important in life and how best to live

The Course Objectives:

1. To explore the question of whether happiness is indeed the ultimate goal of life.

2. To understand the history of how happiness has been conceived by great thinkers in philosophy, religion, and science.

3. To reflect on and apply the study of happiness to one’s own life.

For more information, contact Wanda Manor at 601-974-1130

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