Commonly Misunderstood Concepts: Happiness

One of the most grievous errors made by most people in the Western world today can be found in the prevailing view of happiness as constant pleasure or euphoria. This vision of happiness is not only unattainable but destructive of genuine happiness. A much more realistic and satisfying understanding of happiness can be found by combining the insights of Classical Aristotelian and Enlightenment philosophers and applying them to the vast opportunities we have in our time.

"A Rational View of Love" - Essay by G. Stolyarov II: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1644446/a_rational_view_of_love.html...

Prior videos in this series:
Commonly Misunderstood Concepts: Education: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKbDSEKBn-I
Commonly Misunderstood Concepts: Health Care: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrPUN6ULFgc
Commonly Misunderstood Concepts: Wealth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXP_jCmYfU
Commonly Misunderstood Concepts: Employment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBCcXw5EX2A

Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II
Editor-in-Chief, The Rational Argumentator: http://rationalargumentator.com
Writer, Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/46796/g_stolyarov_ii.html
Author, Implied Consent, A Play on the Sanctity of Human Life: http://rationalargumentator.com/impliedconsent.html
Author, A Rational Cosmology: http://rationalargumentator.com/rc.html
Author, The Best Self-Help is Free: http://rationalargumentator.com/selfhelpfree.html
Author, The Progress of Liberty Blog: http://progressofliberty.today.com/

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• happiness
• pleasure
• philosophy
• ideas
• aristotle
• reason
• enlightenment
• relationships
• feelings
• positive
• negative
• euphoria
• misunderstanding
• definition
• contentment
• moderation
• rationality

[SecularInquisitor]

While I do not do or endorse the use of drugs I do not have an opinion as to what a person does to their own body, so long as it does not cause harm to others, I have warned former friends that there is a finite gap between an effective dose of a substance and a lethal dose. As one uses a substance the body develops a tolerance (as it is w/me and hot peppers) and that gap narrows. People spend most of their life chasing these little "highs" w/many different thing other than substances.

[GStolyarovII]

@SecularInquisitor I agree with your statement regarding the finite gap and its narrowing with continued pursuit of momentary "highs." I think the best way to prevent or remove an addiction to any momentary pleasure is to think of the goal as not being the pleasure itself, but the furtherance of one's life. If an activity contributes to one's life, it should be pursued, and only to the extent it is constructive. Eventually, one can learn to experience pleasure due to self-improvement as such.

[bahdum]

One way a person can become despondent over Love (the romantic kind) is to take to heart the fable that has been made of it: the-passion-that-could-melt-a-­planet kind of affair that Hollywood churns out too many times.

Thank you for reminding us that the longest lasting love is that which one truly cares about one's partner rather than satiating one's carnal and/or narcotic-like needs.

I had almost forgotten that.

[GStolyarovII]

Thank you for watching and for your excellent insights here!

[1140Cecile]

Excellent work here, GS! While you stressed the biological origins of what is recognized as pleasure you also poked at, perhaps, metaphysical origins as well. From a pantheistic perspective, the larger being feels good when it grows and less so when it stagnates or deteriorates. An agent of growth, a human being in this case, will feel a portion of the happiness of the greater being resulting from their own contribution to general growth as is accomplished in anonomous philathropic measures.

[GStolyarovII]

Thank you for the kind words and the interesting perspective!

[GStolyarovII]

@Americanwolverine06 Thank you!

[allsaintsmonastery]

We will be having a Philosopher's Cafe in Edmonton on the subject THE HAPPINESS SEEKING SICKNESS OF MANKIND, in March. The happiness seeking sickness is no denigration of happiness, but the idea that it can be a constant leads to a social sickness.

[GStolyarovII]

Thank you for your subscription and for continuing to watch my videos!

[GStolyarovII]

Thank you!

[GStolyarovII]

I appreciate your kind words. Indeed, it is quite interesting that I was able to arrive at some of the conclusions of Buddhism using Western philosophical sources. Perhaps this is further confirmation of the universality of valid philosophical insights. :-)