Fall 2013 Happiness Class Class Notes 1

Return to Happiness

September 3, 2013

First Class Topics

• Course, Material, and Goals
• Course Methods and web sites

• Course website
• Course wiki
• Einstruction site.

• A typical prep cycle for the course: read, engage, review, prep SQs.
• 6 hours / week !
• Grading Schemes
• Ereserves - pdf printing encouraged.

September 5, 2013

1. Classical Greek Models of Happiness

1. The Greek Philosophical Models in Plato and Aristotle

Plato

• Contrast the Symposium with the cult of Dionysius
• Reasoning our way to the Good (Happiness). Symposium as purification ritual. bad desire/good desire
• Object of desire is transcendent. (Reminder about Platonic metaphysics.)

Aristotle (note McMahon pp. 41ff and Aristotle reading)

• end, function, craft, techne. Hierarchy of arts.
• end vs. final end -- the universal good is the final end, not relative. sec. 6-7.
• happiness as activity of the soul in accordance with virture (def., but also consequence of reasoning from nature of human life)
• Section 13: nature of the soul. two irrational elements: veg/appetitive and one rational. Note separation/relationship.
• Aristotle's extra conditions ....

2. The Greek Cultural Model

• Connection of the culture with tragedy, appreciate of fate, happiness as gift of gods.
• Dionysian culture

2. Some Comments on Philosophical Method.

• first example from first class day: listing phenomena, making distinctions, posing questions, looking for relationships.