51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ

Course Description

Summary

This course will examine a range of questions about the nature of happiness. What is happiness, and why does it matter? Is it the main thing we should pursue in life, or are there other things that are more important? Is it a kind of pleasant feeling, or is it something more "objective" than that? What assumptions about happiness are implicit in the ways that psychologists, economists, and writers of popular media measure and talk about happiness? We will consider these and other questions, engaging with historical and contemporary work from philosophers, scientists, religious thinkers, and contributors to popular media. The primary aim of the course will be to introduce you to rich traditions of philosophical thinking about happiness, and to equip you to begin thinking with some degree of rigor and discipline about questions of happiness as they arise in your own life.