Science, Technology, and Society 8 - The Human Person Flourishing

in Terms of Science and Technology

 In Psychology, happiness is a sake with all other things being desired on

mental or emotional state of well- its account.
being which can be defined by,
Eudaimonia is a property of one's life when
among others, positive or pleasant
considered as a whole.
emotions ranging from contentment
to intense joy. Flourishing is the highest good of human
 To behaviorists, happiness is a endeavors and than toward which all
cocktail of emotions we actions aim. It is a success as a human
experience when we do something being. The best life is one of excellent
good or positive. human activity.
 To neurologists, happiness is the
experience of a flood of hormones
released in the brain as a reward HUMAN FLOURISHING
for behavior that prolongs survival.
 The Hedonistic view of well-being  From Nicomachean Ethics
is that happiness is the polar (philosophical inquiry into the nature
opposite of suffering; the presence of the good life for a human being).
of happiness indicates the absence Written by Aristotle's son,
of pain. Nicomachus.
 Because of this, hedonists believe  Human flourishing arises as a result
that the purpose of life is to of different components such as:
maximize happiness, which  Phronesis - the habit of making
minimizes misery. the right decisions, and taking
the right actions in context, and
Eudaimonia relentless pursuit of excellence
 Eudaimonia, a term that combines for the common good.
the Greek words for "good" and  Friendship
"spirit" to describe the ideology.  Wealth
 Eudaimonia defines happiness as  Power
the pursuit of becoming a better
person. HUMAN FLOURISHING
 Eudaimonists do this by In Ancient Greek society, they believe that
challenging themselves acquiring these will surely bring the seekers
intellectually or by engaging in happiness, which in effect allows them to
activities that make them spiritually partake in the greater notion of what we call
richer people. the Good.
 "Good-spirited"
 Coined by Aristotle.  As time changes, elements that
 Describes the pinnacle of happiness comprise Human Flourishing
that is attainable by humans. changed.
 "Human flourishing"  People found means to live more
comfortably, explore more places,
According to Aristotle, there is an end of develop more products, and make
all of the actions that we perform which more money.
we desire for itself - eudaimonia, flourishing,
or happiness, which is desired for its own
 Science, Technology, and Society 8 - The Human Person Flourishing
in Terms of Science and Technology

 Humans of today are expected to  Good is inherently related to the

become "man of the world". truth.
 Supposed to situate himself in a
global neighborhood, working side-
by-side among institutions and the
government to be able to reach a
common goal.
 Competition as a means of survival
has become a passé.
 Coordination is the new trend.
Eastern vs Western conception
regarding Society and Human
Flourishing
EASTERN CONCEPTION

 Focus is community-centric
 Individual should sacrifice himself for
the sake of society
 Chinese Confucian system
 Japanese Bushido
 Encourage studies of literature,
sciences, and art for a greater cause
WESTERN CONCEPTION

 More focused on the individual

 Human Flourishing as an end
 Aristotelian view
 Aims for eudaimonia as the ultimate
goal.
Science, Technology, and
Human Flourishing

 Every discovery, innovation, and

success contributes to our pool of
human knowledge
 Human's perpetual need to locate
himself in the world by finding proofs
to trace evolution.
 Elicits our idea of self-importance.
 Technology is a human activity we
excel in as a result of achieving
science. (Heidegger) German