Philosophy of happiness

 

Happiness, it is a word in this modern age. However, since the beginning of time, philosophers have continued the quest for happiness… After all, the purpose of life is not only to live, but to live ‘well’. The fundamental role of ‘philosophy’ is to ask questions and to think about the nature of human thought and the universe. Thus, a discussion of the philosophy of happiness in life can be seen as exploring the nature of happiness and what it means to the universe. 

What is philosophical happiness? Philosophers ask some important questions about happiness: Can people be happy? If so, do they like it? Does this mean that if people have the desire to be happy and the ability to be happy, they should continue to be happy for themselves and others? If they can, they want to, they should be happy, but how will they achieve this goal? Philosophers have been inquiring about happiness since ancient times. 

Aristotle, when asked ‘what is the ultimate purpose of human existence’, implies that he argued that purpose is ‘happiness’. He referred to this euthanasia as "the act of expressing virtue". Philosophers’ Thoughts on Happiness They put forward the idea that happiness is the "safe pleasure of the good and the beautiful" (Plato, 1999, p. 80). Plato developed the idea that a person pursues pleasure in the use of intellectual virtues… an argument, the next key figure in the development of the philosophy of happiness - Aristotle – 

The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus was one of the first philosophers to study the nature of happiness in the Western world (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). He put forward a suggestion that, unlike previously thought, happiness is not caused by ‘favorable fate’ (ex:- good luck) or other external circumstances. In ancient times, it was thought that one could not live a good life without living according to reason and morality (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).

 Epicurus, dominated by hedonism, argued that, in fact, virtue (living according to values) and pleasure were interdependent. Subjective life satisfaction is an important aspect of happiness, which is in line with the work of the contemporary philosopher Wayne Sumner, who described happiness as ‘a response to her living conditions when she sees things in life’.