What do we mean by happiness?
Hedonia vs Eudaimonia/ Feeling Good vs Being Good at Being Human
Read:
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics I.7 and X.6-8 (on eudaimonia and pleasure)
https://archive.org/details/aristotle-nicomachean-ethics-apostle/mode/2up
Epicurus: Letter to Menoeceus (pleasure, tranquillity and fear)
https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/316/Epicurus,%20LetterMenoeceus.pdf
Task: Define happiness in your own terms. Mark what’s feeling vs. functioning.
Helpful Prompts:
1. What does happiness mean to me in everyday life?
2. When do I feel more alive or fulfilled?
3. What moments/experiences make me feel truly fappy?
4. What does a happy day look like for me?
5. What values/goals are tied to my sense of happiness?
6. How do I know when I’m genuinely happy?
Life audit: list some moments in the past week where you’ve chased mood over meaning.
Journaling Prompt
- Best day scan: Describe your happiest day this year. Think of all the things that made it your happiest day: feelings, actions, values, relationships. Rate each from 1 to 10 to how valuable they were in contributing to your happiness levels.
- Nudge: Name a small, schedulable actions that would make at least one day each month more like the happiest day you’ve described above.
Ink And Inquiry 