HIS4930 Final Exam

Who is Lenina Crowne?

"Brave New World" character; - A vaccination worker at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. She is an object of desire for a number of major and minor characters, including Bernard Marx and John. Her behavior is sometimes intriguingly unorthodox, which makes her attractive to the reader. For example, she defies her culture's conventions by dating one man exclusively for several months, she is attracted to Bernard—the misfit—and she develops a violent passion for John the Savage. Ultimately, her values are those of a conventional World State citizen: her primary means of relating to other people is through sex, and she is unable to share Bernard's disaffection or to comprehend John's alternate system of values.

Who is Helmholtz Watson?

"Brave New World" character; An Alpha lecturer at the College of Emotional Engineering, Helmholtz is a prime example of his caste, but feels that his work is empty and meaningless and would like to use his writing abilities for something more meaningful. He and Bernard are friends because they find common ground in their discontent with the World State, but Helmholtz's criticisms of the World State are more philosophical and intellectual than Bernard's more petty complaints. As a result, Helmholtz often finds Bernard's boastfulness and cowardice tedious.

Who is Bernard Marx?

"Brave New World" character; An Alpha male who fails to fit in because of his inferior physical stature. He holds unorthodox beliefs about sexual relationships, sports, and community events. His insecurity about his size and status makes him discontented with the World State. Bernard's surname recalls Karl Marx, the nineteenth-century German author best known for writing Capital, a monumental critique of capitalist society. Unlike his famous namesake, Bernard's discontent stems from his frustrated desire to fit into his own society, rather than from a systematic or philosophical criticism of it. When threatened, Bernard can be petty and cruel.

Who is Linda?

"Brave New World" character; John's mother, and a Beta. While visiting the New Mexico Savage Reservation, she became pregnant with the Director's son. During a storm, she got lost, suffered a head injury and was left behind. A group of Indians found her and brought her to their village. Linda could not get an abortion on the Reservation, and she was too ashamed to return to the World State with a baby. Her World State-conditioned promiscuity makes her a social outcast. She is desperate to return to the World State and to soma.

Who is Fanny Crowne?

"Brave New World" character; Lenina Crowne's friend (they have the same last name because only about ten thousand last names are in use in the World State). Fanny's role is mainly to voice the conventional values of her caste and society. Specifically, she warns Lenina that she should have more men in her life because it looks bad to concentrate on one man for too long.

Who is Popé?

"Brave New World" character; Linda's lover on the New Mexico Savage Reservation. He gave Linda a copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

Who is Henry Foster?

"Brave New World" character; One of Lenina's many lovers, he is a perfectly conventional Alpha male, casually discussing Lenina's body with his coworkers. His success with Lenina, and his casual attitude about it, infuriate the jealous Bernard.

Who is "The Director"?

"Brave New World" character; The Director administrates the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. He is a threatening figure, with the power to exile Bernard to Iceland. But he is secretly vulnerable because he fathered a child (John), a scandalous and obscene act in the World State.

Who is Mustapha Mond?

"Brave New World" character; The Resident World Controller of Western Europe, one of only ten World Controllers. He was once an ambitious, young scientist performing illicit research. When his work was discovered, he was given the choice of going into exile or training to become a World Controller. He chose to give up science, and now he censors scientific discoveries and exiles people for unorthodox beliefs. He also keeps a collection of forbidden literature in his safe, including Shakespeare and religious writings. The name Mond means "world," and Mond is indeed the most powerful character in the world of this novel.

Who is The Arch-Community-Songster?

"Brave New World" character; the secular, shallow equivalent of an archbishop in the World State society.

who is The Warden?

"Brave New World" character; the talkative chief administrator for the New Mexico Savage Reservation. He is an Alpha.

What does "Hic Habitat Felicitas" mean and how was it symbolized?

"Here dwells happiness"; often symbolized with the fascinum.

the religious engagement paradox

"Oxford Book of Happiness" (p93) -religious engagement correlates negatively with well-being across aggregate levels and positively across individuals.

Tellus

"The Histories"; An Athenian, the happiest man in the world according to Solon, bc his city was prosperous, he had fine sons, lived to see his grandchildren, and had a glorious death.

Cleobis and Biton

"The Histories"; Second happiest men in the world, lived comfortably, successful athletes, pulled their mother 6 miles in an ox cart to the festival of Hera, their mother prays they will receive "the greatest blessing that can fall a mortal man" ; after the ceremony the two men fall asleep in the temple and never wake up, the town has statues of them made and sent to Delphi.

Croesus

"The Histories"; wealthy king; prosperous man with a palace and many servants, "let Solon go with cold displeasure" after Solon tells him that he is neither the happiest or second happiest man in the world. In the end he is cursed by the gods presumably for thinking himself the happiest man in the world.

The Oxford Book of Happiness

(from lecture) The Religious Engagement Paradox; countries without religion are with highest rates of happiness, life expectancy, literacy, gender equality, income, education. lowest rates of homicide, aids, infant mortality, -individuals with religion lower divorce rates, tend to be happy -frequent church goers are happier -religion may not be the factor when you're comparing cross culturally, it may be correlated to socio-economic factors -religious engagements correlate with happiness, more likely to express higher levels of happiness. (possibly because of deeply embedded virtues like forgiveness, humility, gratitude, kindness, charity, etc.)

Differences and Similarities: Epicureanism and Stoicism

(from lecture) differences - definitions of philosophy. epicurianism like a cult whereas stoicism is a way of viewing life. Epicurianism doesn't have requirements of virtue like stoicism. Epicurianism more so preaches withdrawal from hardships of life. Similar approaches to happiness contextually

Who theorized that emotions were biologically determined and universal to human culture in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals published in 1872?

- Charles Darwin . - accepts the greatest happiness principle as a standard of right and wrong: an action is judged good if it improves the greatest happiness for the greatest number, by either increasing pleasure or decreasing pain - oncerning genetically determined aspects of behaviour. Darwin's main consideration of human origins. In this book, Darwin seeks to trace the animal origins of human characteristics, such as the pursing of the lips in concentration and the tightening of the muscles around the eyes in anger and efforts of memor - which he argued that all humans, and even other animals, show emotion through remarkably similar behaviors. For Darwin, emotion had an evolutionary history that could be traced across cultures and species—an unpopular view at the time. - first posed the idea that emotional responses influence our feelings in 1872. "The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it,"

Briefly describe the geographical findings of happiness rates across cultures.

- Highest levels of happiness: Denmark Norway Switzerland Netherlands Sweden. There is some evidence of global convergence of happiness levels, with happiness gains more common in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and losses more common among the industrial countries.

What contributions to psychology were made by Martin Seligman?

- Learned helplessness - Seligman's foundational experiments and theory of "learned helplessness" began as an extension of his interest in depression. Seligman and colleagues discovered that the conditioning of dogs led to outcomes that were opposite to the predictions of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism, then a leading psychological theory. in their research they looked across cultures and across millennia to attempt to distill a manageable list of virtues that have been highly valued from ancient China and India, through Greece and Rome, to contemporary Western cultures. - Their list includes six character strengths: wisdom/knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each of these has perhaps a half-dozen sub-entries; for instance, temperance includes forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self- regulation. One of their key points is that they do not believe that there is a hierarchy for the six virtues; no one is more fundamental than or a precursor to the others.

The means of measuring happiness/well being/satisfaction

- Measuring happiness is that a person's mental health is 50 percent genetically predisposed, 40 percent intentional, and 10 percent circumstantial. What this means is that half of your mental health is supposedly predetermined, 40 percent depends on "how you choose to live your life," and 10 percent is determined by material wealth. This has led the dominant happiness researchers of the day to push the idea that money and wealth don't matter—you simply need to change your behavior and make your life more meaningful if you want to be happy. - The conclusion from this research re-enforces both genetic determinism and the notion that individuals have absolute power to make themselves happy regardless of their circumstances. But what is most noteworthy in this research is that it shows that factors previously ignored, do in fact play a much bigger role in human well-being than previously thought. - These factors are: being part of a community; the feeling that you are contributing to something meaningful; close human relations to friends and family; contributing to other people's well-being; exercise; and social life in general.

Briefly describe the work of Sonja Lybubomirsky

- The premise of The How of Happiness is (1) that happiness is worth striving for, and (2) that 50 percent of a given human's happiness level is genetically determined (based on twin studies), 10 percent is affected by life circumstances and situation, and a remaining 40 percent of happiness is subject to self control. The strategies offered in the book are designed to target the 40 percent of happiness that is subject to manipulation.

Briefly describe the pricinple correlates of happiness in individuals and societies/countries. Does wealth make people happy?

- Wealth alone does not make people happy. Instead, the report demonstrates that lack of corruption, strong social interactions, and political freedom better explain differences in happiness between top and bottom countries. Moreover, income, along with several external and internal factors play an integral role in an individual's life satisfaction. The external factors range from income to work to values and religion to community and governance. The internal factors that affect happiness are mental health, physical health, family experience, education, gender, and age. Good behavior makes people happier, unemployment causes much unhappiness, and in advanced countries women are happier than men. Rather than income, mental health is the single most important factor affecting happiness.

Briefly describe the Easterlin Paradox and the debate around it

- a key concept in happiness economics. It is named for the economist and USC professor Richard Easterlin, who discussed the factors contributing to happiness in a 1974 book chapter. - The "Easterlin paradox" suggests that there is no link between a society's economic development and its average level of happiness. 1) Within a society, rich people tend to be much happier than poor people. 2) But, rich societies tend not to be happier than poor societies (or not by much). 3) As countries get richer, they do not get happier. One of Easterlin's conclusions was that relative income can weigh heavily on people's minds

Define Affective Forecasting, then briefly describe the work of Daniel Gilbert and how it relates to Affective Forecasting

- another kind of psycology on paradox of happiness: of dan gilbert - developes critical concepts - affective forcasting - over estimate the amount of pleasure people get from future developements and we are built in a way to underestimate that bad things happen, dont give ourselves enough credit for our own resiliance, fear allows us to anticipate and control things, thinking about the future is how we try to exert control over life - is the prediction of one's affect (emotional state) in the future. As a process that influences preferences, decisions, and behavior, affective forecasting is studied by both psychologists and economists, with broad applications.The term "affective forecasting" was later coined by psychologists Timothy Wilson and Daniel Gilbert. While early research tended to focus solely on measuring emotional forecasts, subsequent studies also began to examine the accuracy of forecasts, revealing that people are surprisingly poor judges of their future emotional states. For example, in predicting how events like winning the lottery might affect their happiness, people are likely to overestimate future positive feelings, ignoring the numerous other factors that might contribute to their emotional state outside of the single lottery event. Some of the cognitive biases related to systematic errors in affective forecasts are focalism, empathy gap, and impact bias.

Describe briefly the relationship between Happiness and Capitalism

- captialism created consumerism, so just working hard wasnt enough anymore, now people had/wanted to buy things. also introduced credit. with this came the idea that the things you bought would bring you happiness, whether it be a new car, a bigger house, or making more money at your job. but these type of items do not bring happiness in the long term, they just start a cycle where you keep wanting more and more. - critics on both sides of whether capitalism brings happiness or not

Dan Gilbert: "Stumbling on Happiness"

- greatest achievement of the human brain is to imagine objects and episodes that do not reside in the realm of real, and this ability allows us to think about the future - making future is the most important thing the brain does - make predicitions about the local, immediate, personal future by using info about current events and past events to anticipate what is most likely to happen - this doesnt take a smart conscious brain, computers can do it - predictions like this arent far reaching - first brains on earth 500 million years ago, doubled its mass in a little over 2 million years - most growth went to frontal lobe - damage to frontal lobe caused the inability to plan - tie that binds aniexty and planning = the future, frontal lobe allows humans to project themselves into the future - people with frontal lobe damage live in perpetual present - no other animal has a frontal lobe like us, which is why we think of the future like we do - thinking about the future can be pleasurable - events that challenge our optimistic beliefs can make us more rather than less optimistic - anticipating bad things can minimize their impact - also think about bad events bc fear, worry, and anxiety have useful roles to play in our lives - fearcasts make people act in more prudent ways - we want to know what is likely to happen so we can do something about it - why do we want to control the future? - people find it gratifying - gaining control can have a positive impact on ones health and well being, and losing it is worse than never having it at all - learned to look forward bc doing so allows us to shop all the fates and choose the best one, our foresight allows us to imagine what has not happened yet and spare ourselves hard lessons of experience - insist on steering our boats bc we think we know where it will go, but much of steering in vain, bc future fundamentally different than how we see it - uncertainty can prolong our happiness - memory not a dutiful scribe, allows us to misremember the past and causes us to misimagine the future - unusual instances often more memorable - the least likely experience is often the most likely memory to wreck havoc with our ability to predict future experiences - tendency to recall and rely on unusual events is one of the reasons why we often repeat mistakes

Jonathan Haidt and the modern wisdom of the ancient truths

- happiness hypothesis: - the elephant and the rider: the elephant is the unconscious mind, this is a buddhist metaphor the mind is divided, the consciousness isnt unitary, flesh and soul are at odds, - the human mind only one capable of having a rider - makes us do things that we dont want to do or we dont intend to do - medication can change your mind, meditation can change your mind, or cognitive therapy to judge your affective style you can learn to change and talk yourself out of it - what gives us our habits? we all have an affective style, where does it come from - we are social creatures, we werent designed to be by ourselves, so how do we flourish - what are the opitmal internal and external conditions for human flourshing - looking for physcology before the fact

what are the main points from Geoff Mulgan's "Well Being and Public Policy"

- increasing public happiness has been the overt public policy goal of many places, policy makers trying out different ways to improve well being but remains a field in its infancy - although novelty as a field supported by evidence, promoting happiness has been a goal of governments for much of history - happiness has many different meanings and interpretations, different policies will emerge depending on goals (maximize pleasure, life satisfaction, or fullfillment), well being situated and sometimes in tension with other goals like national security - diagreement on how to measure well being despite the availability of happiness tests. - some cross national tests show low correlation between life satisfaction and postiive affect - comparasions between countries problematic (like US and France, US seems happier but could be bc US encourages people to present lives in a positive light) - many governments have concluded that well being can be measured, and can be used to determine policy efficacy - genetic factors explain indiviual well being and are fairly constant, appears to suggest that policy influence is slim but rule of law, democracy, and low levels of corruption correlate with well being - countries that perform best on the 6 dimensions of governance also have higher well being - policies for well being take place more on local level, but national governments focus on fields like marriage, social relationships, employment, health and quality of governance to influence well being - family policy could have positive impact on well being, public policy has supported parenting skills, but little agreement on what policies to use bc even though strong relationship between marriage and well being, do you encourage marriage/provide support services to prevent marriages from failing? - policies in education less contested, contribute to student developement, improve emotional resilience, help them learn how to deal with life challenges, encouraging greater self awareness and empathy - work: disatrous effect of unemployment on well being, for those who are employed, quality of work experience influences overall well being - majority of people work from age 18 to retirement, so job satisfaction and life satisfaction is unsuprising, job satisfaction associated with opportunities for personal control and skill use, internally generated goals, job security, etc - but policy implications unlcear, - health: higher level of well being at national level is associated with longer life expectancy but problem with how to shift from cure to preventativve mental health without a lot of spending and whether to focus on the mental well being of the many or chronic mental disorders of the few - ageing: 70 year old as happy as a 20 year old, aging doesnt mean mental, physical and emotional decline anymore, physical activity, mental health, and cognition linked, - policy makers focusing on how to improve diet and exercise among elderly - turning to active and productive ageing - arts, sports, and culture - sports and arts help people gain life skills that help them cope with setbacks, improve empathy and motivation - social capital: greater everyday democracy have higer life satisfaction, social trust and social capital linked to well being (talking to neighbors, volunteering) - safety: score higher on well being measures - eco friendly lifestyle, higher well being - income: once incomes rise above what is needed to meet basic needs, well being is influenced by relative income and how people see themselves in relation to others.

Briefly outline the points on happiness made by Sigmund Freud's "Civilization and its Discontent"

- only religion can answer the question of the purpose of life - strive to become happy and stay that way - unhappiness much less difficult to experience - comes from ourselves, the world around us, and other men - better path to happiness is becoming a member of the human community - going over to the attack of nature and subjecting her to human will - one is working with all for the good of all

What is negative psychology?

- the psychology of dysfunction - need treatment in hope of higher functioning - "abnormal psychology" - deals with neurosis and psychosis, people are not making it in life, not functioning how they want to function

briefly describe some arguments against happiness or a centric focus upon happiness in ones life or culture.

- the pursuit of happiness is causing people to be unhappy - like Eric Wilson, embracing inner gloom, believes that the world needs melancholy bc it pushes people to think about their relation to the world in new ways and ultimately relate to the world in a richer, deeper way - link between sadness and artistic expression - to get to know family, you have to know dark as well as light - the melancholy gene is the gene for innovation - in individualistic society, only have yourself to blame for not being happy, so we are the only society that makes people unhappy for not being happy - philsophers believe that happiness cannot suffice for well being and less important for good life - the more that people strive for happiness, the less likely it is that they will attain it

Epicurus; "Principle Doctrines"

- there are gods but they dont really notice us; when we die we die, our soul decomposes with us. There is no point in fearing death because we're not going to feel it. Highly values friendships and avoidance of pain. Epicureanism as superficial hedonism (pleasure seeking, no consequences) is a great misunderstanding of his actual teaching - you should avoid vice, moderate pleasure, seek simplicity.

Buddhism and Happiness

-all human beings have the capacity for happiness; but most people aren't happy, even though every person seeks it -suffering is everywhere -we prevent ourselves from being happy -Buddhism is a set of psychological techniques to rid ourselves of distracting emotional processes such as anger, obsession, fear, etc. -love for others and the interest in making others happy is essential to our own happiness H = S (set point) + V (voluntary activity) + C (conditions) -you don't get used to long commutes, commuting is a real source of unhappiness

The Crucifixion, despite being openly acknowledged by Paul as "a stumbling block to Jews" and "foolishness: of the Gentiles, what treat by Christians as what?

A Triumph and cause for exaltation

What are "feelies" in Brave New World?

A movie that also transmits tactile sensations or emotions to the viewer.

McMahon's NY Times article "A Right From The Start" refers to the pursuit of happiness as:

A typical American conflict of interest: competing pursuits.

Who wrote "A Brave New World"?

Aldous Huxley

Who wrote on nicomachean ethics?

Aristotle

What does the word "asher" mean and in what popular hebrew text is it used repeatedly? Bonus point: what Greek word was chosen by Hellenized Jews to equal "asher" in their translations of scripture?

Asher: Hebrew; Happy, blessed; used in the Beatitudes. "blessed are those..."; Bonus point: asher stems from the Greek word "makarios" (blessed)

Herodotus

Author of "The Histories", wrote of Croesus and Solon's conversation about the happiest man in the world; "Now if a man thus favored dies as he has lived, he will be just the one you are looking for [...] until he is dead, keep the word "happy" in reserve. Till then he is not happy, but only lucky."

Describe how sex is perceived within "Brave New World" and what this recurring motif symbolizes about the work.

Brave New World abounds with references to sex. At the heart of the World State's control of its population is its rigid control over sexual mores and reproductive rights. Reproductive rights are controlled through an authoritarian system that sterilizes about two-thirds of women, requires the rest to use contraceptives, and surgically removes ovaries when it needs to produce new humans. The act of sex is controlled by a system of social rewards for promiscuity and lack of commitment. John, an outsider, is tortured by his desire for Lenina and her inability to return his love as such. The conflict between John's desire for love and Lenina's desire for sex illustrates the profound difference in values between the World State and the humanity represented by Shakespeare's works.

name some differences between Daoism and Confucianism

Confucians insist that the core locus of value is culture and that humans are the most noble of all creatures, whereas Daoists believe that within the natural realm all things are equal

The fascinum was a Roman symbol depicting what? (figuratively and literally)

Depicting the phallus, the fascism was a symbol of prosperity fertility power and luck; "Hic Habitat Felicitas" often used in Roman doorways and homes to symbolize "Hic Habitat Felicitas" or "Here dwells happiness"

"Dr. Happy", is one of the lead researchers in the field of subjective well-being. Who is this "Dr. Happy" and briefly describe subjective well being and his findings thereof.

Ed Diener; subjective well-being (SWB) is how people evaluate their lives - both at the moment and for longer periods (the past year). Evaluations include emotional reactions to events, moods, and judgments about life satisfaction, fulfillment, and satisfaction with domains such as marriage and work. - In 2002, Diener conducted a study at the University of Illinois with Martin Seligman, finding that "the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them." Diener has said "It is important to work on social skills, close interpersonal ties and social support in order to be happy."

Briefly describe the work of Paul Ekman

Ekman expanded his list of basic emotions, including a range of positive and negative emotions that are not all encoded in facial muscles. The newly included emotions are:Amusement, Contempt, Contentment, Embarrassment, Excitement, Guilt, Pride in achievement, Relief, Satisfaction, Sensory pleasure, and Shame. - Ekman's famous test of emotion recognition was the Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA) stimulus set published in 1976. Consisting of 110 black and white images of Caucasian actors portraying the six universal emotions plus neutral expressions, the POFA has been used to study emotion recognition rates in normal and psychiatric populations around the world.Consideration of both nature and nurture: Emotion is now viewed as a physiological phenomenon influenced by our cultural and learning experiences. Emotion-specific physiology: Ekman led the way by trying to find discrete psychophysiological differences across emotions. A number of researchers continue to search for emotion-specific autonomic and central nervous system activations. With the advent of neuroimaging techniques, a topic of intense interest revolves around how specific emotions relate to physiological activations in certain brain areas. Ekman laid the groundwork for the future field of affective neuroscience. An examination of events that precede emotions: Ekman's finding that voluntarily making one of the universal facial expressions can generate the physiology and some of the subjective experience of emotion provided some difficulty for some of the earlier theoretical conceptualizations of experiencing emotions. Considering emotions as families: Ekman & Friesen (1978) found not one expression for each emotion, but a variety of related but visually different expressions. For example, the authors reported 60 variations of the anger expression which share core configurational properties and distinguish themselves clearly from the families of fearful expressions, disgust expressions, and so on. Variations within a family likely reflect the intensity of the emotion, how the emotion is controlled, whether it is simulated or spontaneous, and the specifics of the event that provoked the emotion.

Epicurus; "Letter to Menoeceus"

Epicurus recommends to Menoeceus that the ultimate good of life is pleasure (and the avoidance of pain); all other goods spring from this chief good. Death causes no harm for the one who dies; it is irrational to fear death. (Only pleasure and pain can make life go better or worse; sensation is required in order to feel pleasure or pain; the dead have no sensation; so, when dead, life cannot be made worse.) Nothing inherently valuable about living a long life. If a very short life contained a greater sum of pleasure than a very long life, he thinks the former life is best (uses analogy: "just as we do not choose simply the largest portion of food, but rather the food of the greatest quality, so too should we not prefer simply the longest life, but the life of greatest value."); maximize pleasure in the long run rather than seek immediate pleasure that may cause pain in the end; Values appreciation of simple pleasures as a means to maximize happiness. the greatest amount of pleasure will be produced through intellectual pursuits, and that the greatest life will be the life guided by wisdom. Importantly, he maintains that the happy life will be identical to the virtuous life.

briefly describe Book 1 of nicomachean ethics

Every human activity aims at some end that we consider good. The highest ends are ends in themselves, while subordinate ends may only be means to higher ends. Those highest ends, which we pursue for their own sake, must be the supreme Good.Every human activity aims at some end that we consider good. The highest ends are ends in themselves, while subordinate ends may only be means to higher ends. Those highest ends, which we pursue for their own sake, must be the supreme Good.

According to McMahon's NY Times article "A Right From The Start" early Christians had basically the same understanding of humanity's right to happiness as America's founding fathers. True or False?

False. Early Christians had an understanding that this life on earth was supposed to be full of suffering whereas our founding fathers would have called it blasphemy to say that God does not delight in our happiness

Gary Wills in "Inventing America" states that John Locke often used the term "pursuit of happiness" and always used it quite vaguely in his writings. True or False?

False. He shows that Locke only rarely used the term, and that it was hardly ever written about vaguely in 16th century England.

Who is Matthieu Ricard, and what is his view of happiness?

French Buddhist Monk from in - class TED talk video: "A Buddhist View of Happiness" -happiness is not something that is radiating outside -happiness is too vague, lets say well being, it's not just a pleasurable sensation -deep sense of joy and satisfaction, state of being -we go from elation to depression -the depth of the ocean is unchanged despite the storms at the surface -we spend so much time working on appearances and surprisingly little time on happiness

What does the Greek word "Ergon" mean? (Nicomachean ethics)

Function; Aristotle asks what the ergon ("function," "task," "work") of a human being is, and argues that it consists in activity of the rational part of the soul in accordance with virtue

What are Dr. David Meyers principal characteristics of happy people?

Happy people have self-esteem, are optimistic, feel a sense of personal control, are extroverted, have close supportive relationships, experience flow in their work and play (Flow experiences are ones that boost our sense of self-esteem, competence, and well-being).

According to Zhuangzi, even though wine helps one forget oneself and brings them close to the Dao, relying on wine is not as good as relying on...

Heaven

What is Virtue? (according to lecture)

How to live excellently; character strengths that are conducive to happiness

Who are the main characters in Brave New World

John; Bernard Marx; Helmholtz Watson; Lenina Crowne; Mustapha Mond; Fanny Crowne; Linda;The Director; The Arch-Community-Songster; Popé; The Warden

Describe John Locke's definition or understanding of the pursuit of happiness

Locke says that the will is not free, we have a cosmic attraction to fulfill desires for pleasure, freedom is the capacity to resist small pleasures for a higher good, but because of this "cosmic attraction" to pleasure, the pursuit of happiness is a constant force keeping us from uninterrupted bliss.

Which founding father said that we mistakenly pursue fleeting means of pleasure instead of true happiness?

Madison

Briefly describe positive psychology

Positive psychologists seek "to find and nurture genius and talent" and "to make normal life more fulfilling", rather than merely treating mental illness - primarily concerned with using the psychological theory, research and intervention techniques to understand the positive, adaptive, creative and emotionally fulfilling aspects of human behavior. - concerned with three issues: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. - Positive emotions are concerned with being content with one's past, being happy in the present and having hope for the future. - Positive individual traits focus on one's strengths and virtues. - positive institutions are based on strengths to better a community of people.

Solon

Sage in "The Histories"; goes to visit King Croesus, tells him the only happy men are dead, until they die men are merely lucky, not "happy"

Who was Aurelius Augustinus, and what was his greatest work?

Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo for the first 3 decades of the 5th century, author of De beata vote (the blessed life), Confessions (his autobiography), and most notably, his greatest work "The City of God Against The Pagans"

Which Roman emperor was the first to carry out empire wide persecution campaigns of Christians

Severus

Describe John's use of Shakespeare and what it symbolizes within Brave New World

Shakespeare provides the language through which John understands the world. Through John's use of Shakespeare, the novel makes contact with the rich themes explored in plays like The Tempest. It also creates a stark contrast between the utilitarian simplicity and inane babble of the World State's propaganda and the nuanced, elegant verse of a time "before Ford." Shakespeare's plays provide many examples of precisely the kind of human relations—passionate, intense, and often tragic—that the World State is committed to eliminating.

What was the culminating event of the century long persecution of Christians in ancient Rome (ca 303CE) and which emperor was responsible for it?

The Great Persecution; Diocletian

What are the main themes in "Brave New World"?

The Use of Technology to Control Society; The Consumer Society;The Incompatibility of Happiness and Truth; The Dangers of an All-Powerful State

Describe briefly the Roman legend of Valeria from Chapter 2 of "Happiness: a History"

The beautiful temptress Valeria said to the Roman General Sylla in passing him at the theater that she too wished to partake a little in his felicity (felicitas), meaning his sexuality, good fortune, and prowess in battle. In her attempt to get closer to this source she sleeps with him.

What is "Soma" in "Brave New World"?

The drug soma is a symbol of the use of instant gratification to control the World State's populace. It is also a symbol of the powerful influence of science and technology on society. As a kind of "sacrament," it also represents the use of religion to control society.

Briefly describe the significance of "Adaptation" within "Happiness Hypothesis" (Haidt)

The idea that the human mind is only really sensitive to changes in life conditions, suggests that stability is more important than social mobility in terms of creating happiness. The human mind adapts very quickly, whether it be winning the lottery (you think this will boost your happiness for a long time, but really your happiness returns to normal after a few weeks), or if you are doing exercises like Sonja suggests, you have to make sure to vary them and make sure they dont become a routine, or else you will adapt to them - material gains, such as a bigger house car, etc dont lead to happiness bc we adapt and then just want the next biggest thing

Describe how Aldous Huxley uses the motif of alienation throughout "Brave New World"

The motif of alienation provides a counterpoint to the motif of total conformity that pervades the World State. Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, and John are alienated from the World State, each for his own reasons. Bernard is alienated because he is a misfit, too small and powerless for the position he has been conditioned to enjoy. Helmholtz is alienated for the opposite reason: he is too intelligent even to play the role of an Alpha Plus. John is alienated on multiple levels and at multiple sites: not only does the Indian community reject him, but he is both unwilling and unable to become part of the World State. The motif of alienation is one of the driving forces of the narrative: it provides the main characters with their primary motivations.

What is Gary Will's definition of the paradox of the pursuit of happiness?

The pursuit of happiness is both the ground of human right and the goal of human virtue

what does "parousia" mean?

The second coming of Christ

Describe John's Character in Brave New World

The son of the Director and Linda, John is the only major character to have grown up outside of the World State. The consummate outsider, he has spent his life alienated from his village on the New Mexico Savage Reservation, and he finds himself similarly unable to fit in to World State society. His entire worldview is based on his knowledge of Shakespeare's plays, which he can quote with great facility.

What does the use of the word "pneumatic" mean in "Brave New World?"

The word pneumatic is used with remarkable frequency to describe two things: Lenina's body and chairs. Pneumatic is an adjective that usually means that something has air pockets or works by means of compressed air. In the case of the chairs (in the feely theater and in Mond's office), it probably means that the chairs' cushions are inflated with air. In Lenina's case, the word is used by both Henry Foster and Benito Hoover to describe what she's like to have sex with. She herself remarks that her lovers usually find her "pneumatic," patting her legs as she does so. In reference to Lenina it means well-rounded, balloon-like, or bouncy, in reference to her flesh, and in particular her bosom. Huxley is not the only writer to use the word pneumatic in this sense, although it is an unusual usage. The use of this odd word to describe the physical characteristics of both a woman and a piece of furniture underscores the novel's theme that human sexuality has been degraded to the level of a commodity.

Briefly describe book 2 of nicomachean ethics

There are two kinds of virtue: intellectual and moral. We learn intellectual virtues by instruction, and we learn moral virtues by habit and constant practice. We are all born with the potential to be morally virtuous, but it is only by behaving in the right way that we train ourselves to be virtuous. As a musician learns to play an instrument, we learn virtue by practicing, not by thinking about it.

briefly discuss some prejudices against happiness in the social and human sciences

There is no baseline index of mood or what it is to feel normal; We tend to push the definition of normal ever-upward, and pharmaceutical companies that deal in psychotropics respond to the pressure we place upon attaining happiness by crossing the line between therapy and extreme, unnecessary life-enhancement measures; studies measuring subjective happiness cannot be applied objectively.

Marcus Aurelius; "The Meditations"

Thinks his dreams are revelations; men are composed of body and reason; happiness is virtue; focuses on avoiding pain; vice is unhappiness; focuses on accepting "what is","that which you cannot change", in other words, accept your circumstances; Anything to the contrary inhibits a happy life. -values independence and meaningful friendships. ironic bc Marcus Aurelius killed a lot of people, esp Christians, wrote many of these meditations while traveling on war campaigns -his works are similar to what is known as "modern objectivism"

Explain the meaning of Ford, "My Ford," "Year of Our Ford," etc. in Brave New World

Throughout Brave New World, the citizens of the World State substitute the name of Henry Ford, the early twentieth-century industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, wherever people in our own world would say Lord" (i.e., Christ). This demonstrates that even at the level of casual conversation and habit, religion has been replaced by reverence for technology—specifically the efficient, mechanized factory production of goods that Henry Ford pioneered.

True or False (from lecture) : Buddhism focuses almost exclusively on obtaining happiness.

True

True or False: A popular belief during the 1950s was that facial expressions and their meanings were culturally determined through behavioural learning processes.

True

True or False: According to Happiness: A History, Ch. 1, Happiness to the ancient Greeks was a notion of divinity

True

True or False: Daoists and Confucians agree that the "joy" associated with the "good life" as not just an emotion, but a state of being in the sense that is associated with rather complex cognitions and beliefs. (from Ivanhoe reading "Early Chinese thought"

True

True or False: Kongzi felt an intimate familial connection to all human beings in the sense that they were all playing a vital role in the well being of the whole world

True

True or false, Hume would argue that by pursuing our own happiness we promote the pursuit of happiness within others.

True

True or false, Thomas Jefferson equates political legitimacy with happiness according to Gary Wills.

True

the Roman concept of felicitas, and later the the cult of Felicitas (the goddess) indicates their acceptance of worldly pleasures and good fortune as a sign of beneficence of the gods. True or False?

True

Who said "He is happy whose circumstances suit his temper"?

Voltaire

The relationship between money and happiness

We can draw the conclusion that it is not mere money that makes people happy—it is what money can provide you. What makes people happy is not having to worry about their jobs and safety, and having access to quality housing, healthcare, food, and education. The research shows that people want to be part of society, but that the constant struggle just to pay the bills alienates them from society, quite literally because they don't have time to socialize and develop meaningful relationships with friends and family. This is why one of the main demands of Marxists is for a dramatic reduction of the workweek.

Who was Vibia Perpetua? Bonus point: what was the name of her personal slave? (from McMahon chapter2)

Young North African Woman among a group of early christians fed to wild animals in a carthaginian arena for violating Emperor Septimus Severus' decree outlawing conversion to christianity. (ca 203 CE) her personal slave was named "Felicitas"

What does Eudaimonia mean and from where does the term originate?

a Greek word commonly translated as happiness or welfare; however, "human flourishing" has been proposed as a more accurate translation. It comes from the words "eu" ("good") and "daimōn" ("spirit"). It is a central concept in Aristotelian ethics and political philosophy, along with the terms "aretē", most often translated as "virtue" or "excellence", and "phronesis", often translated as "practical or ethical wisdom".

Ancient Greek Understanding of Happiness (from lecture)

attaining that end (happiness) is a function of virtue; you must think about cultivating your mind and your soul; happiness is of this life -to measure it is to assess an entire life

How do Daoist and Confucian views differ from Western conceptions of "eudaimonia"?

both (Daoist and Confucian) see a proper sense of self and satisfaction as more intimately and broadly connected with everyday aspects of the world than Western Ideologies

Describe Wilson's Moral Sense Theory

humans share a common moral sense which Wilson defines as: "an intuitively or directly felt belief about how one ought to act when one is free to act voluntarily."

Kongzi and Zhuangzi agreed that the pleasures afforded by "(fill in the blank)" are not a solid foundation for happiness, and can even be seen as counterfeits of the true joy of life

material goods power or fame

Promising deep solidarity and intimate support in return, what did early charismatic sects of Mediterranean Christendom demand their followers renounce?

money social ties family and ones past

in the story of Perpetua what does she believe is the source of her strength?

the will of God

True or false, according to Aristotle, courage is a virtue that lies somewhere between cowardice and recklessness, with a mean relative to our own personal lives and experiences

true