What is happiness?
Well, this is not easy question to answer. According to Oxford dictionary “Happiness – the state of being happy”. Thanks captain obvious! This is not the answer we’ve been looking for!
Since the existence of the humanity, people thought about questions such as “What is the meaning of life?”, “Is there God?”, “What shall I have for dinner?” and of course “What happiness is?” These so called philosophical questions, the ones that are still relevant today and will probably stay relevant as long as humanity exists.
Perhaps you think “What’s so difficult about this question? There are tons of things that make me happy!”. And you will be right. For different people happiness might mean different thing. For example Tom might be happy that his parents are finally buying him that Mercedes that he was begging for months. Alice might be happy that her exams are finally over and she finally has time to read that book that she always wanted to read
What ancient philosophers think about happiness?
Aristippus of Cyrene explored the topic of happiness. He founded the idea that all people have the right to do everything they can to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure possible.
If you are the kind of person who would rather go to a party instead of revising for an exam - you might very well live a hedonistic lifestyle.
Antisthenes describes a life-style characterized by voluntary abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures, often with the aim of pursuing religious or spiritual goals. This theme is commonly found in religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Christianity.
Aristotle – “Happiness depends on ourselves”. More than anybody else. Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. He draws conclusions that happiness depends on the cultivation of virtue.
Oxford dictionary “Happiness – the state of being happy.” Thanks captain obvious!
Let's see what the clever people think about happiness...