Theories of Happiness

1082 Words5 Pages
Happiness essay Introduction 8. Explain and defend your preferred theory of happiness. (N.B. You must relate your answer to this question to the theories and arguments considered in the lectures.) What is happiness? According to the Oxford Dictionary (ref ), happiness is the state of being happy, with happy being a feeling of pleasure, contentment, positive emotions. However this definition is ambiguous. Most of us want a happy life, some of us will spend our whole lives pursuing it. But without a clear idea of what happiness is, we could spend our whole lives pursuing an unattainable goal. This is why, for centuries, philosophers, scientists, writers and more have tried to define what it means to lead a happy life, to put forward an objective standard, that could reasonably be considered happy. In this essay I put forth my preference for the Percieved Life Satisfaction theory, and will attempt to defend my choice as I compare it to two other popular theories of happiness – Hedonism and Eudemonia . Let us begin by assessing what is meant by the term “happiness”. The definition of happiness can vary vastly between individuals, from buying a new car, to having a family, to leading a virtuous life or meditating in the mountains. For each of us, what makes us happy will define what we think happiness is. Philosophers battle with the same problem, for whatever they define as happiness will ultimately define what they perceive to be the perfect theory of happiness. Haybron (2001) states that there are two main types of happiness that are usually referred to in philosophical texts. Happiness in the first sense, requires nothing more than to feel happy, or to be in a happy mood, and is often referred to as psychological happiness. The second sense of happiness is often said to denote a type of well-being, derived from Aristotle’s definition of Eudemonia, called
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