Humans, like no other species, exist in particular consciousness of consequence. It may be hard to debate that one would like the consequences of their actions to be rewarding. If an individual maintains a healthy lifestyle it is only fair for them to expect to have good physical form, in the same way as the expectation of getting paid would be more than reasonable in the scenario where one is performing a job or a service in a professional environment. Judging by the formula above we may infer that a motivating factor of our life choices is a hope for reward, which is essentially consequential to appropriate actions and circumstances. Thinkers have, as far as “the industry” allows it, come to agree that happiness is the ultimate reward, desired independently of anything else, that has intrinsic value. Practically speaking, one may want to increase their income for the sake of providing for their family and themselves better, and the answer to a question such as “Why would one want that?” would be “To be happy”. As a result, we may be inclined to think that no satisfying response could follow an inquiry of why one would want to be happy. Happiness is positioned at the top of the motivational chain. Whilst the notion in question may take on a number of diverse definitions depending on the individual, as a baseline we identify it as desirable, motivating, and pleasurable.
The United States Declaration of Independence (1776) includes the following statement: “All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Being featured in a legal historical document of great significance, the statement highlights the individual’s innate right to happiness as a fundamental component of one’s autonomy on a political level. From the Age of Antiquity, all the way into the Modern World, law and morality took the quest for happiness, which some may argue is instinctive to human nature, into great account. Great minds all across Philosophical disciplines have contemplated the matter thoroughly, with their reflection embodying both theoretical and practical nature. Aristotle identified happiness in terms of virtue, preaching that acts of moral goodness are the key component of human flourishing. Immanuel Kant, a key figure of the Enlightenment Era (1685-1815), judged happiness to lie in Good Will, an innate moral disposition acted upon in accordance with a sense of duty rather than self-interest. While a widespread Utilitarian view introduced by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill in the late 18th century promoted the following moral principle: an action is right under the condition of producing as much happiness and eliminating as much suffering as possible. The study of happiness has shaped many episodes in human intellectual history, as it proved itself to be a major point of concern and interest universally.
As much as it is a personal goal, happiness holds social value in the same way as it includes a communal element within itself. Political and ethical theories are good examples of happiness being promoted on large scales, however further exploration of the subject demonstrates the equal significance of social factors on intimate levels. Research and survey data positively contribute to the popular conviction that human connection increases our overall well-being. Humans, biologically and culturally, find particular meaning and value in social capital, which plays a central role in the structure of our lifestyle. Thus, we would be right in assuming that being an active part of a community, in whatever form it assumes, promotes happiness.
Ambitious moral views attributed to big names within the timeline of human thought may not be as effective in representing the subjective aspect of happiness, the one we experience through simple everyday acts and exchanges. On this very personal level the definition of a notion so integral to our being as happiness is, must encapsulate the intimacy and intricacy it invariably carries. The complex nature of the subject is symbolic of the often treacherous human journey towards happiness standing behind it.