Layman Talks "James On Happiness"
The article of "James on Happiness" (pursuit-of-happiness.org, 2009) is an excellent article, which summed up succinctly what William James thought.
James was the professor of philosophy and psychology at Harvard University in nearly a century ago. He was the founder of the philosophical school of pragmatism, which is basically still quite right in today's view of point. And many contemporary philosophers are returning to James as the main inspiration for new theories of perception, meaning, and belief.
However, as a layman in psychology and philosophy, I would like to explain, in a layman way, what James means by means of our today's common sense and instincts. And I hope it may help someone to understand the happiness easier and more accurately.
Define Happiness
Obviously, by today's common sense, happiness is one of our most important instincts (our ancestors' successful experiences saved on our DNA), which is the momentarily feeling of things being a-step-better for keeping our DNA alive. No matter how small the step may be! And it is basically no more than directional or qualitative in nature. (Re #1)
James' Happiness
The formation of James' happiness can be explained by common sense as follows:
(1) "Happiness requires Choice":This is because that hoosing is a necessary process for approaching a-step-better, because there are countless choices for anyone of the ultra high sensitive human beings. (Re #4)
(2) "Happiness requires Active Risk-taking":Obviously, this is because people have to take risk to make a-step-better. By common sense, human can never do anything exactly 100% right without any errors. (Re #1)
(3) "Happiness involves "As-if" thinking": Naturally, to think to do something as-if it were good for keeping DNA alive is a-step-better itself than to do nothing. At least, it is so in the process of thinking, even if the outcome may be invalid happiness. (Re #2)
(4) "Happiness often comes after a Crisis of Meaning": Once finding the meaning of life (for keeping DNA alive or as-if something else), you will certainly pursue it happily through a series of a-step-betters (so called "engagement" today). That is why suffering is the mother of happiness or of biological evolution. (Re #1)
References: #1. W. Ying, articlesbasee.com, "Happy Life, Instincts, Wisdom, and Human Computer System." #2. ibid, "Valid Happiness, Instinct and Wisdom." #3. ibid, " Competing Instinct-Blindly or Instinct-Wisely?" #4. ibid, "Happy Life needs Ultra High Sensitivity."
Copyright 2010 all rights reserved.
James was the professor of philosophy and psychology at Harvard University in nearly a century ago. He was the founder of the philosophical school of pragmatism, which is basically still quite right in today's view of point. And many contemporary philosophers are returning to James as the main inspiration for new theories of perception, meaning, and belief.
However, as a layman in psychology and philosophy, I would like to explain, in a layman way, what James means by means of our today's common sense and instincts. And I hope it may help someone to understand the happiness easier and more accurately.
Define Happiness
Obviously, by today's common sense, happiness is one of our most important instincts (our ancestors' successful experiences saved on our DNA), which is the momentarily feeling of things being a-step-better for keeping our DNA alive. No matter how small the step may be! And it is basically no more than directional or qualitative in nature. (Re #1)
James' Happiness
The formation of James' happiness can be explained by common sense as follows:
(1) "Happiness requires Choice":This is because that hoosing is a necessary process for approaching a-step-better, because there are countless choices for anyone of the ultra high sensitive human beings. (Re #4)
(2) "Happiness requires Active Risk-taking":Obviously, this is because people have to take risk to make a-step-better. By common sense, human can never do anything exactly 100% right without any errors. (Re #1)
(3) "Happiness involves "As-if" thinking": Naturally, to think to do something as-if it were good for keeping DNA alive is a-step-better itself than to do nothing. At least, it is so in the process of thinking, even if the outcome may be invalid happiness. (Re #2)
(4) "Happiness often comes after a Crisis of Meaning": Once finding the meaning of life (for keeping DNA alive or as-if something else), you will certainly pursue it happily through a series of a-step-betters (so called "engagement" today). That is why suffering is the mother of happiness or of biological evolution. (Re #1)
References: #1. W. Ying, articlesbasee.com, "Happy Life, Instincts, Wisdom, and Human Computer System." #2. ibid, "Valid Happiness, Instinct and Wisdom." #3. ibid, " Competing Instinct-Blindly or Instinct-Wisely?" #4. ibid, "Happy Life needs Ultra High Sensitivity."
Copyright 2010 all rights reserved.
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