Jake's 2nd Midterm post! H01 Group3

So I have decided instead of posting about Southern Bapstists and what not, I will talk about some big questions that we've been asking ourselves in philosophy class; and what my opinion on them is and why! The big enquiries that we have gone over are: what is happiness? How do we treat those that differ from us? What is right and what is wrong? Is anything real? Who are our friends, and how do we define what a friend should be? Of course, these aren't ALL of them, but these are the questions that have been weighing heavily on my mind, and I wish to write about them not only to tell you guys what I think, but to hopefully figure out how I feel about them! Hopefully, you'll see something you agree or disagree with and you'll comment and we can engender some genuine conversation!

So the first concept I'm going to discuss is happiness. What is it? Is there a difference between joy and happiness?


First, I think it's wise to compare what other philosophers/philosoraptors think about happiness, and then draw my own conclusions. Aristotle believed that pleasure doesn't equate happiness: one swallow doesn't make summer. Meaning that short spurts of temporary pleasure will only leave you sad and wanting more; he also believed that children coldn't be happ (probably because they don't understand the distinction between pleasure and happiness as well as their short attention span). He believed true happiness came from the things you accomplished at the end of your life.He believed the entire pursuit of your life was to find this eudaimonia, or happiness propagated from success and accomlishments; happiness could also be found in peacefully living and interacting with civilized society (having friends, mentors, family, etc.). Contrary to Aristotle's beliefs, Jeremy Bentham believed that happiness is the absence of pain and the presence of pleasure: a more basic view (in the old english use of the term). I believe there are different forms of happiness. In my view, happiness comes from others. When you do something for someone else, have friends, family, etc. It's external. Joy, on the other hand I believe comes from inside you. Happiness is fleeting, it can leave you at any moment. I find happiness in my boyfriend, but he could break up with me. I find happiness in family, but (God forbid) they could all die in a car crash. Joy is happiness with yourself, and it can't be taken away. Those who know me know how much I hate the term "You complete me! *cue sappy stupid romantic music." It pisses me off because it implies that before you met this person, you were walking around as a half human half or something...you should be a complete person by yourself, and you shouldn't base you Joy on external sources: it only sets you up for despair when they leave, die, etc. For myself, Joy comes from alone time, yoga, inner peace, feeling the beautiful natural world around us, partly eudaimonia, and Religion (still figuring this one out however).

Next, I will discourse about right and wrong/morality/ethicallity.
As before, I will first examine other philosopher's points of view. Immanuel Kant believed that actions were only moral or ethical whenever the person is acting in accordance with their civic duty. Emotions shouldn't be a factor when deciding what to do. Unfortunately, most humans aren't able to snap into stoic mode whenever they need to make a decision: and often times quick decision are required and you don't have time to sit and think about how your civic duty corrolates with what needs to be done. You act on impulse, or emotions. Your reason for doing something, or maxim, should always be universalizable, or apply to everyone. In other words, say you're thinking about doing drugs, just this once to try it out. Wel what if EVERYONE then took some drugs. What a mess that would be, right? I agree to a point with Kant's ideas, but as with most philosophical concepts, I don't agree with the extremes of his position. NEVER lie, NEVER use emotions in decision making, NEVER have a maxim other than your duty. My philosophy (as oxymoronic as it is) is never say never. There are always exceptions to the rules (once again using an ultimatum word, lol). But for the most part, I agree with Kant. If you let your emotions rule you, you won't make a lot of wise decisions in your life. It's usually a bad idea to lie, and civic duties are extremely important.

I hope this has been enlightening, or at the very least a nice break from what can sometimes seem as a monotonous discussion about things we already know, ha ha. Please comment and let me know what you guys think! Next segment I will (probably) be discussing the three questions I left out: How do we treat those that differ from us? Is anything real? Who are our friends, and how do we define what a friend should be? And maybe even a few more, but for now, Au Revior!
-Jake Goza
Word count: 855