miércoles, 13 de abril de 2016

Happiness, a question to be taken into account increasingly in world reports.

Do you agree on taking happiness into account to know how much is a country happy?
What would you include as essencial things to be happy?
These are some theories about the way of getting happiness, both as a society and a person. What do you think? what do you agree most with?
These are the students who should participate on the forum by commenting about the topic of the title and the questions above.
3ºA
Iván Barbero
Javier Blanes
Manel Boukercha
José Miguel de Haro

3ºB
José Juan Ojeda
Jesús Ocejo
Oana Neaga
Adrián Ramos

3ºC
Adelina Ungureanu
Montse Vega
Francisco Vertiz
Ángel Vico

Each student has to post at least one commentary of 7 lines as minimum. The commentaries can be both about the text and a classmate´s answer. 

Deadline: April, 25th.

Theories of Happiness 
There are of course many competing theories of human well-being, both secular and religious. To even describe these theories at any length and soundness would require a volume or volumes, not a brief note. Still, at grave risk of trivialization, I would like to argue that various theories put different relative weights on six dimensions of happiness.

Mindfulness. 
Many theories of happiness, including Buddhism, Aristotelian virtue ethics, Stoicism, traditional Christian theology, and Positive Psychology, emphasize the path to happiness through the cultivation of mindfulness, attitudes, values, habits, dispositions, and virtues. The emphasis is placed on character, mindfulness and mental health rather than the objective circumstances facing the individual, whether economic, social, or political.

Consumerism.
Anglo-American economics has long emphasized the role of personal income and market opportunities in enabling individuals to meet their needs. The emphasis is on the individual as a rational consumer, acting to maximize individual utility (or material preferences) subject to a budget constraint. Easing the consumer budget constraint (that is, raising income) is the key to raising well-being in this view.

Economic freedom. 
For Mill, Nietzsche, Rand, Hayek, and Nozick in their very different and distinctive ways, happiness is achieved through personal freedom of action. In the extreme modern form, Libertarianism places liberty as the Summum Bonum, and as the key to social organization through a minimal state.

The dignity of work. 
Human beings are creators and explorers. They aim to discover, create, build, innovate, and change the world around them. Therefore, the quality of work life, the single biggest part of our waking adult lives, must surely count heavily for the quality of life. Drudgery and unemployment are shunned; stimulating work and decent work conditions are crucial for well-being.

Good Governance. Aristotle declares in The Politics that: “the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal.” The state, emphasizes Aristotle, “comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life.” The quality of governance is, therefore, key. The administration of justice, writes Aristotle, is “the principle of order in political society.”

Social trust.
In the same vein, Aristotle declares that, “A social instinct is implanted in all men by nature.” The ability of men to live harmoniously with others in society is a key virtue. He who is sufficient for himself, Aristotle famously declared, is “either beast or god.”

Theories of Happiness put emphasis on one or another of these various dimensions. The economists emphasize the importance of raising wealth and consumption; the libertarians, personal liberty; communitarians, the social capital; Calvinists, respectable work; Buddhists and virtue ethicists, the cultivation of mindfulness and virtue. Partisans of these contrasting approaches have long fought bitterly across ideological lines. Communitarians accuse libertarians of neglecting social capital; libertarians accuse communitarians of undermining personal liberty. Even the levying of taxes to pay for public goods, according to libertarians, is a denial of personal liberty. Libertarians may argue for generosity, including charity, and reciprocity, but only on the basis of explicit individual consent.


6 comentarios:

  1. I agree because it depends how this happy country, will be better or worse economically. The essential things I would include would be happy to have good friends, take advantage of every moment of life doing something you want to do, not do things to do, if not an end. It is true that happiness is based on society, but a society to be happy, have to be you as a person; you're happy. A person is happy when you win money, when you work on what you want and when you are with your friends. I agree with all but the I think a person could be are: Dignity of Work, consumerism, freedom economically and good governance because I believe that a person is happy when you buy something for him or someone, or when you do well a business, when you see that your country is doing well economically, for these reasons I believe that a person is more or less happy

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  2. I feel good that takes into account the happiness to be part of the global reports. because the use of research and data on happiness enhance sustainable development.

    1-yes, I agree, because it improves sustainable development [ODS], helps guide the world community towards a more inclusive and sustainable global development model. It is very likely that the concepts of happiness and welfare help guide progress towards sustainable development.

    2- essential things to be happy could be: the landscape that gives us our country: beaches, nature, flora and fauna, climate, the country's wealth, freedom, and dignity of work.

    3-If I agree with most, because they explain and disclose various types that influences the happiness of the country and citizens who replace, such as: the freedom and dignity of work.

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  3. On the first topic of the theories to be happy, Mindfulness , I am agree completely, since it is not the same thing to be surrounded with persons who pay attention you and respect you that of others that isolate you and didn't respect you. I think that it affects it enough to the autoesteem of a person reducing the level of happiness.
    About the second point I think that the happiness of a person depends more than it have to, of the money. Every day many people i listened to say that the money it is not important when to the minim that they downs the salary to the employees persons changes totally. Always it is listened to say that what gives the happiness is the health, the family; the friends and the work when really it is the money. In the third topic I agree since I also think that the happiness of a person depends on his freedom so much social as politics. If a person had to hide being made spend for what they are not, they would not be happy or at least not completely since being since it is wanted one is more happy. On the fourth point I have to say that I am not for anything in agreement since I am sure almost to 100 % that the man does not work with the hope to create or introduce anything, if not that for the money. I am sure that if it offers to a person to give money monthly without need to do nothing to him, it would seem to him likely. On the fifth topic I do not also agree anything since the majority of the civilians are little entered in political topics and do not give them a lot of importance, sometimes they bother to vote and later they are the first ones in complaining of as this one the government. In the last point, I agree totally with the phrase in the one that says that "The ability of men to live harmoniously with others in society is a key virtue" Since always let's let's want or not in tranquility and harmony is lived better and happier than otherwise.
    Finally I want to add that the things on which there should depend the happiness of the human beings should be the following ones in the indicated order:
    1-Health
    2-The family
    3-The work
    4-The money

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  4. I think that each person has a different way of thinking and has more or less happiness without attend to factors like for example the money, because there are many poor people that are more happier than other rich people. In some instances, rich people that looked that he had everything, had ended committing suicide because they were not happy.
    -In my opinion, seeing people emigrating to other countries fleeing war, like Syrians or for bad quality of life like Moroccans, the country influences in the happiness.
    -I would include get along with your family, practice anti-stress exercises, do some sport, be social...
    -Yes , i'm agree with all the theories of happiness.


    Jose Miguel De Haro López

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  5. I totally agree to take into account the happiness of the citizens of a country because this will determine significantly their daily life, whether at work, at home or with their family.
    In my opinion I would include two more sections:
    1º. Sleeping hours: This is so important to be always ready and alert of what happens around us.
    2º. Discrimination: Whether of race, religion or economic situation we know that it stills remain in most countries of the World. This is a very serious issue because, for the person affected has to be very difficult to laugh and be happy.
    I agree with almost all theories due to I see very important the mindfulness of our brains, clearly the economic freedom too and the dignity of work. I also agree with a good governance in the country and (I think one of the most important theory) the social trust because if we don't trust in our loved ones we will not get anywhere being alone. Finally I believe that consumerism isn't right at all, because although we all know that we like so much buying things in the stores we can be happy without doing it just limiting ourselves to buy only what is necessary and not buying whims because it can become a very bad addiction.

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  6. In my personal opinion I agree with all but a, social trust, I think they are wrong because these days the world moves money and wars, what I mean is that what Aristotle said had a part true and another false. An example would be Iraq, Vietnam ... all these countries are mired in ongoing wars and where people take advantage, traffickers, mafias ... they all benefit from poverty and wars and elsewhere in the countries where there is "wealth" things are getting better. What I mean is that the world revolves around money. And another thing I not been clear is how penser of the Buddhists, fail to understand and represent happiness or they mean by happiness. I am also agree with the Anglo-American theory that they are right, all parties are held by political or commercial advantage. I also agree with what all these theories all emphasize the freedom of expression and freedom fun couple on national holidays, gloval partys, regional etc. I think all have their share of truth, but the real truth they want to express these theories is freedom of expression and the above. It is a text that really interesting like me.

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