In the pursuit of happiness

Happiness

Plato Held that happiness involved the cultivation of moral and intellectual virtues

Kant rejects this rational result, stating if happiness was the ultimate aim of human life, nature would have given us instincts alone and not rationality.

Stating we tend to “reason” that the securing of some good, will make us happy – say a big house, pretty partner or better job. But once we have these things, we tend to find they have not made us completely happy . in fact they have not removed our desire for more goods more pleasure or more security at all. The happiness effect wanes quite quickly.

Thus happiness is not something we can permanently secure and worst yet the desire for happiness often leads us morally astray, setting kitten of fire because its fun.
For Kant it was doing one duty would bring the greatest happiness

Now the ultilarians (David Hume) posed that happiness was the goal of all moral action.
If happiness is the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain as stated then how should/would we increase every ones happiness.
Could we make the majority happy by exterminating a few?
It all seem to end in a moral question.

Should i give my spare money to UNICEF or buy a Wii which will make me happy?

The Greeks come back to the rescue with a way out.

Greeks concern themselves with the cultivating of virtue (Human Flourishing) not only does this put happiness at the centre of our heart for a quest to live to the full and also connects morality with every day concerns.

Further to this rambling thought .....

Humans are essentially reasonable, reasoning beings, and the individuals reason will tend to lead each of us to live properly.

The problem with this assumption is that it presupposes that reason is in control.
One may argue it ought to be but it often find itself the slave of passion.
Reason is like a rider on top of an elephant, he may be able to steer the elephant around, but when the elephant decides to do something else, all the ride can do is hang on for dear life.

The Greeks recognized that it take more that good argument to get people to be happy. It seem people need to be trained to desire the right acts that will bring about a fruitful life.

Aristotle’s basic insight regarding moral education is that people don’t learn how to live virtuously (happy) in the classroom or week end seminars, because virtue requires practice.

A good argument might help but it will not be enough to transform us.Striving for virtue is in itself the pursuit of happiness.

And one important point is happiness is by virtue subjective, and as such very hard to dictate. (ones subjective well being)

Greeks would recommend excellence as possibly the most useful endeavour when one wishes to pursue a happy and fulfilled life.

The question is not what should we do
The question is how should we live.
Greg :o)