Lesson Objectives

• Identify different conceptions of human flourishing;

• Determine the development of the scientific method and
validity of science; and
• Critic human flourishing vis-à-vis progress of science and
technology
◦ To be able to define for themselves the meaning of a good life.
◦ In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being
which can be defined by, among others, positive or pleasant emotions
ranging from contentment to intense joy.

• To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of 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.
 Definition from biologist
◦ They say that happiness is caused by
pleasant sensations in the body.
◦ These sensations are a reaction to various
biochemical substances
(serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin)
◦ running around in your blood and the flurry
of electrical signals firing in your complex
brain biology.
Definition in the past…
◦ 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.
◦ • Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for
"good" and "spirit" to describe the ideology. Eudaimonia
defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better
person. Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves
intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them
spiritually richer people
 What is a hedonism?
◦ Hedonism has a long history (Ryan & Deci, 2001). Science has
looked closely at happiness as ‘hedonically’ defined – or, in other
words, the pursuit of pleasure over pain (Ryan & Deci, 2001).
◦ Aristippus, a Greek philosopher from the 4th century BC claimed
happiness was the sum of life’s ‘hedonic’ moments (Ryan & Deci,
2001).
◦ Hedonic enjoyment is a state whereby an individual feels relaxed,
has a sense of distance from their problems and, can be said to feel
‘happy’ (Ryan & Deci, 2001).
For example:
In broad terms, a hedonist is someone who tries to maximise pleasure and
minimise pain. Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in 
The Wolf of Wall Street is probably the popular idea of the quintessential hedonist,
where his extreme wealth allows him to indulge his insatiable hunger for all things
pleasurable.
Watch this video….

BBC Ideas (2019). Hedonism. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hedonism

 Before we go on eudemonia..

Green (2017). Aritotle and video Theory.https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse

• “good spirited”
Coined by Aristotle

• Describes the pinnacle of

happiness that is
attainable by humans.

• “human flourishing”
To understand more on Eudaimonia
Lets have a simple story
◦ Suppose, for instance, this girl, Lea has a
theory that her classmate Ian likes her.
Good, she thought, I like him too. But how
do I know that he likes me?
◦ She began by observing him and his
interactions with her. Several gestures she
noted include his always exchanging
pleasantries with her whenever they bump
into each other, his big smile when he sees
her, and him going out of his way to greet
her even when riding a jeepney.
◦ Through these observations, she was then able to conclude that Ian does like her because,
she thought, why would anyone do something like that for a person he does not like?
◦ As it turns out, however, Ian
is just generally happy to
meet people he knew. He had
known Lea since they were in
first year and regards her as
a generally okay person. It is
no surprise then that upon
learning that Ian basically
does this to everyone, Lea
was crushed. She vowed to
herself that she would never
assume again.
Now lets go back to another story…
Thank you for Listening 