The Human Person flourishing in terms of Science and intellectually or by engaging in activities that

Technology make them spiritually richer people.

 In psychology, happiness is a mental or EUDAIMONIA

emotional state of well-being which can be
 “good spirited”
defined by, among others, positive or pleasant
 Coined by Aristotle
emotions ranging from contentment to intense
 Describes the pinnacle of happiness that is
joy.
attainable by humans.
 To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of
 “human flourishing”
emotions we experience when we do
something good or positive.
 To neurologists, happiness is the experience of
a flood of hormones released in the brain as a
reward for behavior that prolongs survival.
 The hedonistic view of well-being is that
happiness is the polar opposite of suffering;
the presence of happiness indicates the
absence of pain. Because of this, hedonists
believe that the purpose of life is to maximize
happiness, which minimizes misery.
From Nicomachean Ethics
 Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek
words for "good" and "spirit" to describe the  (philosophical inquiry into the nature of the
ideology. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the good life for a human being.)
–
pursuit of becoming a better person.  human flourishing arises as a result of different
Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves components such as

 Phronesis
 Friendship
 Wealth
 Power
In ancient Greek society, they believe that acquiring
these will surely bring the seekers happiness, which in
effect allows them to partake in the greater notion of
what we call the Good.
• As time changes, elements that comprise
human flourishing changed.
• People found means to live more comfortably,
explore more places, develop more products,
and make more money.
• Humans of today are expected to become
“man of the world”
• 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
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 good
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)
• Good is inherently related to the truth.
Science as Methods and Results
 Science stems from objectivity brought
upon by a rigid method.
 Claim to reason and empiricism.
Empiricism is the theory that human knowledge
comes predominantly from experiences gathered
through the five senses. In empiricism, concepts are
spoken of as a posteriori or “from the latter”
meaning from the experiences.
Steps in Scientific Method
1. Observe
2. Determine the Problem
3. Formulate hypothesis
4. Conduct experiment
5. Gather and analyze
6. Formulate conclusion and provide
recommendation
Verification Theory
 A discipline is science if it can be confirmed
or interpreted in the event of an
alternative hypothesis being accepted.
 Premium on empiricism.
 Takes into account those results which are
measurable and experiments which are
repeatable.
 Vienna Circle
 group of scholars who believed that
only those which can be observed should be
regarded as meaningful,
Reject those which cannot be directly
accessed as meaningless.
Falsification Theory
•
As long as an ideology is not proven to
be false and can best explain a
phenomenon over alternative theories, we
should accept the said ideology.
•
Allowed emergence of theories
otherwise rejected by the verification
theory.
•
Encourages research in order to
determine which among the theories can
stand the test of falsification.
•
KARL POPPER
–
aim at the production of new, falsifiable
predictions
–
scientific practice is characterized by its
continual effort to test theories against
experience and make revisions based on
the outcomes of these tests.
The Good Life
Aristotle
 ancient Greek philosopher
 known for his natural philosophy. logic
and political theory
 one of the greatest thinkers in the history of
western science and philosophy, making
contributions to logic, metaphysics,
mathematics, physics, biology, botany,
 ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance
and theatre.
 first to classify areas of human knowledge
into distinct disciplines such as
mathematics, biology, and ethics.
 founder of the Lyceum, the first scientific
institute, based in Athens, Greece.
 one of the strongest advocates of a liberal
arts education, which stresses the
education of the whole person, including
one's moral character, rather than merely
learning a set of skills.
What is meant by good life?
 living in comfort and luxury with few
problems or worries.
 characterized by happiness from living
and doing well
 content
Aristotle’s view of good life
 the activity of the soul in
accordance with virtue.
 believed that good for humans is
the maximum realization of what
was unique to humans.
 the good for humans was to reason
well.
 The task of reason was to teach
humans how to act virtuously, and
the exercise faculties in accordance
with virtue.
Virtue/s
 behavior showing high moral standards.
"paragons of virtue"
 synonyms: goodness, virtuousness,
righteousness, morality, ethicalness,
uprightness, upstandingness, integrity, dignity,
rectitude, honesty, honorableness,
honorability, honor, incorruptibility, probity,
propriety, decency, respectability, nobility,
nobility of soul/spirit, nobleness, worthiness,
worth, good, trustworthiness, meritoriousness,
irreproachableness, blamelessness, purity,
pureness, lack of corruption, merit; principles,
high principles, ethics
 "the simple virtue and integrity of peasant life"
Virtue, then, being of two kinds, intellectual and moral,
intellectual virtue in the main owes its birth and growth
in teaching ( for its reason it requires experience and
time). While moral virtue comes about as a result of
habit
Intellectual virtue
 theoretical wisdom (thinking and truth)
 practical wisdom by understanding.
 Experience and time are necessary
requirements for the development of
intellectual virtue
Moral virtue
 controlled by practical wisdom (ability to make
right judgment)
 owed its development to how one nurtured it
as habit.
 can be learned
Happiness to Aristotle
 "Happiness depends on ourselves.“
 central purpose of human life and a
goal in itself.
 depends on the cultivation of virtue.
 a genuinely happy life required the
fulfillment of a broad range of
conditions, including physical as well as
mental well-being.
Happiness as the Ultimate Purpose of
Human Existence
 happiness is a final end or goal that
encompasses the totality of one's
life.
 It is not something that can be
gained or lost in a few hours, like
pleasurable sensations.
 It is more like the ultimate value of
your life as lived up to this
moment, measuring how well you
have lived up to your full potential
as a human being.
Science and Technology and Good Life
 S&T is also the movement towards
good life.
 S&T are one of the highest
expressions of human faculties.
 S&T allow us to thrive and flourish if
we desire it.
 S&T with virtue can help an
individual to be out of danger.
 “Life is good! It is only our
thoughts, choices and actions
towards the situations we meet in
life each moment of time that
makes life look bad! The same bad
situation in life that makes one
person think badly inspires another
to do a noble thing! The same good
situation in life that makes one
person feel so good to get into a
bad situation inspires another
person to create another good
situation because of the good
situation. It is all about thoughts,
choices and actions! Life is good!
Live it well!”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah