Philosophy 3160 - The Philosophy of Happiness. Fall 2019: TTh 2:40-4:05 PM, JUB 202
Dr. James P. Oliver phil.oliver@mtsu.edu. 300 James Union Building, 898-2050/(615)525-7865 during office hours only. Phil Dept 898-2907
Office Hours: M-Th 4-5 pm & by appointment. On pleasant days office hours may be outdoors-see my office door for details.
Examining the concept of human happiness and its application in everyday living as discussed since antiquity by philosophers, psychologists, writers, spiritual leaders, and contributors to pop culture.
This course explores happiness from many angles, each time a little differently. In a previous semester we pondered whether there is a "secret" of life that conduces to human happiness and flourishing. My conclusion then, and still my provisional view now: No, no Big Secrets. I’m a pragmatic pluralist and an admirer of Montaigne. "Que sçais-je?"
But that doesn't mean there's no insight to be gleaned from the philosophical study of happiness. There are plenty of little secrets and helpful stories to tell, and much happiness wisdom to learn.
One time our hook was meaning. To what extent can, may, or must the search for happiness coincide with the quest for a meaningful life?
Last time our main focus was the history of what's been thought and said by philosophers about happiness, flourishing, delight, subjective well-being etc.
This time we're looking into the Epicurean philosophy of happiness.
This time we're looking into the Epicurean philosophy of happiness.
GETTING STARTED. We'll begin with introductions. I’ll ask you to respond in class AND on our course blogsite to these questions:
- Who you are?
- Why are you here?
- What is your current attitude towards happiness?
We’ll all eventually sign on as co-contributing authors of the class blog. (We’re not using D2L.) Meanwhile, post comments, questions, links, etc. in the comments section of any relevant recent post. You'll need to post regularly, to "score" full participation credit. And you'll want to, once you see how much fun it is to participate.
TEXTS (REQUIRED)
- Haybron, Happiness: A Very Short Introduction (H)
- Wilson, Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction (E)
- Inwood, Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction (S)
- Epicurus, The Art of Happiness (AH)
- tba
Important Dates
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AUG
T 27 - Introduce yourself in class and online (before next class) by replying to "Introductions" on our blog site at http://philoshap.blogspot.com/ & read classmates' introductions. Answer two questions (bearing in mind that this is an open site): Who are you? and Why are you here (in school, in a philosophy class, in middle Tennessee... whatever you'd like to share)?
Th 29 – What's your definition of "happiness"? Are you actively pursuing it? How important is it to you, compared with other values ("success," "meaning," "character"...)?
T SEP 3 - Haybron, Happiness (H) ch1-2
Th 5 - H 3-4
T 10 - H 5-6
Th 12 - H 7-8
T 17 - Wilson, Epicureanism (E) ch1-2
Th 19 - E 3-4; identify midterm report topics
T 24 - E 5-6
Th 26 - E 7-9; midterm report presentations begin
OCT
T 1 - Inwood, Stoicism (S) ch1-2; Exam
Th 3 - S 3-4
T 8 - S 5-7
Th 10 - tba; [Cicero, "On the Nature of the Gods" - ?]; midterm report blog posts due
FALL BREAK
Th 17 - Epicurus, The Art of Happiness (AH), foreword, preface, Introduction -p.39
T 22 - AH Introduction -p.76
Th 24 - AH -p.134
T 29 - AH -p.183
Th 31 -
NOV
T 5 - Exam 2 & tba
Th 7 - How to Be an Epicurean (HTBE) 1-2, & tba
Th 7 - How to Be an Epicurean (HTBE) 1-2, & tba
T 12 - HTBE 3-4, & et al
Th 14 - HTBE 5-6, & et al; Final report presentations begin: Ed,
T 19 - HTBE 7-8, & et al; Final report presentations continue
Th 21 - HTBE 9-10, & et al; Final report presentations continue
T 26 - HTBE 11-12, & et al; Final report presentations continue
THANKSGIVING BREAK
T 2 - HTBE 13-15, & et al; Final report presentations continue
DEC
T 3 - Last class; Exam 3
Sa 7 - final report blog post due (but consider posting a draft earlier, for feedback from the class and to support your final report presentation)
M 16 - grade queries welcome
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS & grades, Fall 2019-
Sa 7 - final report blog post due (but consider posting a draft earlier, for feedback from the class and to support your final report presentation)
M 16 - grade queries welcome
==
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & grades, Fall 2019-
Grades
FAQ-How do you grade?
"Well, I add up the grades for the essays, quizzes, the midterm and final. I average them out. Then I consult my stomach."
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"Solvitur ambulando"
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Lottery scholarship statement,
from: Academic Affairs <Academic.Affairs@mtsu.edu>
to: Faculty
Do you have a lottery scholarship? To retain the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. A grade of C, D, F, FA, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility.
If you drop this class, withdraw, or if you stop attending this class you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship, and you will not be able to regain eligibility at a later time.
For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form (http://www.mtsu.edu/financial-aid/forms/LOTFEV.pdf) or contact your MT One Stop Enrollment Coordinator (http://www.mtsu.edu/one-stop/counselor.php).
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