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As I've been reading Moral Philosophy: Theories and Issues (which really is excellently and understandably written, in my opinion) and listening to lectures online from a Harvard professor on the same topic, I've begun to notice a trend. There's a commonality among many of the theories and viewpoints I've studied thus far: Happiness. For example,
Moral Egoism:
It's always morally acceptable for a person to do
what he/she believes to be in his/her own self-interest.
(If I make someone else happy while making myself
happy, that's great! Furthermore, if making someone
else happy makes me unhappy, that's bad.)
what he/she believes to be in his/her own self-interest.
(If I make someone else happy while making myself
happy, that's great! Furthermore, if making someone
else happy makes me unhappy, that's bad.)
Utilitarianism:
People should be morally guided by whatever will
maximize pleasure and well-being of the majority.
maximize pleasure and well-being of the majority.
Moral Subjectivism:
Whatever a person believes to be right or wrong IS
right or wrong for them, as influenced by their happiness
and emotions.
Kant: Claims that all who are rational
necessarily pursue or desire happiness.
right or wrong for them, as influenced by their happiness
and emotions.
Kant: Claims that all who are rational
necessarily pursue or desire happiness.
Now, these and so many other ideas are based on the worldly and seemingly logical thought that the pinnacle of human experience is happiness. That so, it also seems only logical to do whatever one can to be as happy as possible as much and for as long as possible. Right? Of course right! Right, unless you aren't supposed to be living as someone who's a part of this world. (Ephesians 4:17-32, 1 Peter 2:11-12)
During Bible study this week, one thing that really stuck with my was from a discussion we had concerning the fruit of the Spirit. Basically, we went through and considered the difference between the worldly concepts of love, joy, peace, and so on; and the biblical concepts of the same. When we came to joy and peace it struck me that the world has, I think, rather warped definitions. To the world, peace seems to mean a lack of hostility, noise, chaos, etc., whereas true, biblical peace is something which can only come from God Himself, and is characterized by a calm and quiet spirit. To the world, joy is synonymous with happiness -- if you're sad or unhappy or hurt, you cannot possibly be happy or joyful. On the other hand, biblical joy really has nothing to do with happiness or some lack of happiness. Rather, it has everything to do with choosing to let God's peace and control take over in your life; to be content in whatever situation is going on, whether good or bad, easy or challenging; and to focus on serving God and others before yourself.
Please don't get me wrong! I'm certainly not meaning to insinuate that I dislike being happy - I love hugs and being around people who make me laugh and doing fun things! - or that happiness is somehow a bad or wrong thing in and of itself. The point I guess I'm trying to make here is that happiness seems to have become such a god in virtually every society, such an all-consuming goal, that these theories I'm studying and people in general forget that there is a higher calling and greater purpose found in loving and obeying God.
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Whew! Okay, if you read all that and were able to follow my unedited, rambling, I-sure-hope-she-actually-has-a-point style, kudos! Seriously.
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Quick side note here -- I genuinely enjoy Pharrell Williams's song "Happy" and find myself singing along every time I hear it. The title of this post just happens to coincide directly with the most commonly sung phrase in that song. ;)
This was fantastic! Thank you for sharing. Its easy for me sometimes to fall into the 'self serve' mentality that permeates naturalistic philosophy. Especially because the men and women you're studying now are considered intellectual titans! Thanks for the exhortation. I'm following your BlogSpot.
ReplyDelete-Lamont
Thanks for reading it, and for your comment, Lamont! You partially influenced it, anyway, with how you directed some of the conversation during the Bible study.
ReplyDelete-Dani
I think that you got most of it ok, but what is missing is the issue of "what makes me happy makes someone else UNHAPPY". I see that as the main problem in people's pursuits of happiness, because it causes moral dilemmas.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, it is good that *someone* in America is studying ethics, if you get a good grade, you should become a politician!
Thank you for reading this post! You're a little vague in your wording there, but if you mean that I left out the concept of disregarding others' happiness while in pursuit of your own happiness, then yes, I certainly agree that that mindset causes moral dilemmas. Even so, my point was more that happiness in and of itself is an empty aim, as opposed to joy and fulfilling the tasks God has set you to.
DeleteI will admit that while I do occasionally post things like this, most my posts here are general, day-to-day things which can be quite silly. Also, while I'm somewhat flattered at your suggested occupation (I haven't taken that exam yet, so I'll have to wait a month or so to find out my grade!), my aspirations lie totally elsewhere. Perhaps, though, one day I'll get the opportunity to teach some young, would-be politician values that coincide with what was said here. :)
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