The Good life
⚫ People want to be healthy but many consume junk food. ⚫ People want to be happy but many do things that make themselves miserable. ⚫ Most things that taste good are probably bad for you. ⚫ Most things that give you a thrill are probably bad for you too.
A PUZZLING PROBLEM
⚫ Avoids the pitfalls of self-centered pursuit of happiness and success. ⚫ Sustains us between the highs of inspiration and the lows of despair. ⚫ Happiness and flourishing will sneak in through the back door. ⚫ Ability to transform adversities into opportunities for personal growth.
ADVANTAGES OF THE MEANING PURSUIT
⚫ Nothing in this world can fill the spiritual vacuum within us. ⚫ Dreams are often broken when reality strikes.
DISILLUSION
Confucius
Equates the good life with social harmony.
⚫ Bad things happen to good people ⚫ Reversal of fortune ⚫ For some people, most days are bad days (e.g. poverty) ⚫ Lack of opportunities to pursue PERMA (Seligman, 2011)
FATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES
1. Benevolence 2. Righteousness 3. Proprietary 4. Wisdom 5. Faithfulness or Loyalty
Five Cardinal Virtues
Confucius
Five cardinal virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness or loyalty.
Aristotle
Four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
Aristotle
His moral theory is teleological.
Confucius
Inner cultivation of virtues leads to world peace.
⚫ The world will never be enough: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing" (Eccl. 1:8). ⚫ It takes more and more to reach the same level of happiness—addiction, money, etc.
King Solomon realized the vanity of success long, long ago:
Confucius
Lived in a tumultuous period of war and conflict.
Aristotle
Practical wisdom: the proper end to our actions and the proper means to our end.
⚫ The happiness pursuit becomes one's ultimate purpose in life. ⚫ The happiness pursuit is not guided by a philosophy of life informed by general principles of meaning, spirituality and virtue (e.g., the Golden Rule).
RISK FACTORS
The pursuit of the good life has ended in misery and self-destruction for many people
THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
⚫ Confucius: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others. ⚫ Aristotle: We should behave to others as we wish others to behave to us. ⚫ Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains thyself. ⚫ Christianity: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
THE GOLDEN RULE
⚫ A meaningful, authentic good life is based on inner goodness. ⚫ "The end of life is eudaimonia."—Aristotle ⚫ Eudaimonia means well-being, virtue and human flourishing. ⚫ To live the good life is to become what we ought to be as human beings—moral agents who strive for moral excellence.
THE GOOD LIFE IS A VIRTUOUS LIFE
⚫ Everybody wants more happiness and success. ⚫ It's good to know how to optimize happiness and success. ⚫ There are many happiness coaches and self-help books on the market.
THE HAPPINESS PURSUIT
⚫ The whole is more than the sum of its parts. ⚫ Good people + Good community + World peace = Good life.
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
Aristotle
The golden mean to avoid extremes.
Confucius
The need to fit in an ordered society.
Aristotle
Virtue Ethics
They make personal happiness and success their ultimate end of life without a moral compass and without the desire to pursue inner goodness.
WHAT IS THE COMMON CAUSE?
⚫ People have different ideas of what constitutes the good life. ⚫ Wrong pursuits may lead to tragic consequences. ⚫ Correct pursuits may lead to flourishing. ⚫ Therefore, be careful what you dream for.
WHAT IS THE GOOD LIFE?
1. Prudence 2. Justice 3. Fortitude 4. Temperance
four cardinal virtues