The structure of happiness.
Item
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Title
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The structure of happiness.
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Identifier
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AAI3204966
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identifier
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3204966
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Creator
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Vitrano, Christine.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Steven M. Cahn
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Date
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2006
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Philosophy
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Abstract
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The concept of happiness has long been of philosophical interest, and it continues today to play an important role in contemporary discussions of morality and well-being. Although the concept of happiness has been analyzed by various contemporary philosophers, little progress has been made in reaching a consensus over its meaning. As a result, there are several distinct concepts that the term denotes within the philosophical literature.;I shall examine the contemporary literature on happiness, and arrive at a definition that is both theoretically useful and accords with common usage. I shall defend a life satisfaction view of happiness, which identifies it as a psychological state of the subject. Saying that you are happy only commits you to the minimal claim that you are satisfied with your life, implying nothing about your moral background or behavior, or about the quality of your life, independent of your own perceptions.;Following my analysis of happiness in Chapters 1 and 2, I shall examine its connection with two other evaluative notions with which it is often conflated. In Chapters 3, I shall focus on the connection between happiness and moral goodness, and in Chapter 4, I shall discuss the relationship between happiness and well-being. In both cases, I shall argue that happiness represents an independent evaluative dimension.;The tradition in ethics is to amalgamate happiness, well-being and morality, and to deny the possibility of their independent occurrence. One achieves the good life by maximally realizing all three elements; the subject strives to be virtuous, and she is made happy through her pursuit. Many contemporary philosophers believe that happiness, well-being and moral goodness must rise and fall together, and they assume if someone fails to realize any one element, they must lack all three. However, what has been neglected is how these elements can come apart. Through my analysis of happiness, I shall argue against the traditional view, suggesting instead that happiness is independent of both moral goodness and well-being.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
