Happiness impends! Here's our first assignment, for those looking to get a leg up (or just bored with August).
On the first day we'll do our introductions and begin addressing some simple questions:
Who are you? Why are you here?
That's an invitation to make our acquaintance and share some straightforward biographical info. But it's also philosophically inviting and potentially problematic, in our discipline's best tradition.
And then,
Are you [have you ever been, do you hope ever to be] happy?
(Bear in mind, this site is not filtered or segregated from the rest of the web... so, students, be as circumspect as you think you must. There's no reason to worry that Grandma or the Big Bad Wolf are lurking, but you never know.)
I'll start. I'm Dr. Phil Oliver ("James Philip" on the birth certificate). I've been teaching at MTSU for over a decade. I was born in Missouri, got my undergrad degree at Mizzou and a PhD in Philosophy at Vanderbilt. I live in Nashville with my wife and daughter, a High School student. Another daughter is just beginning college.
ReplyDeleteI teach courses on Atheism & Philosophy, Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, and the Philosophy of Happiness (among others).
I'm an early riser, and like to write first thing in the morning while sipping my coffee. I also like to integrate my teaching, writing, blogging, tweeting, and living as much as possible. Hence the links at the top of this page to my most recent "Up@dawn" posts, which often pertain to the upcoming day's course content.
Why am I here? Because I was bitten by the philosophy bug in college, was given a scholarship to pursue my studies at Vanderbilt, married a Tennessean, and was offered a job by MTSU. Beyond that, well... I'm here to pursue happiness, and to the extent of my modest abilities assist others in doing likewise.
Yes, I think I'm happy in the pedestrian sense. (That's a joke, but you'd have to know me better to know why.) But I'm kinda with Aristotle on this: it's too soon to say if, or to what degree, my life as a whole shall have been a good and happy one. As my daughter likes to say: "workin' on it."
This shall seem "hack-y" in some or another sense to link to my own work, but I think I've answered the first two questions elsewhere—namely, at http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2013/02/midterm-poston-issues-of-personal.html
ReplyDeleteIn short, I'm a Philosophy major at MTSU born and raised in Southern Louisiana. I came to MTSU for the Recording Industry program but found my way into Dr. Oliver's Intro course and fell in love with the act of philosophizing. Critical discourse is one of my favorite things in the world, and I find it to be absolutely important, especially in this American age of consumerism, so much so that I am currently working on a book attempting to tackle those ideas, but that's neither here nor there.
Philosophically, I tend to find myself fairly directly aligned with the Utilitarian philosophers, especially JS Mill, but of course I have my pragmatist and empiricist streaks. I tend to value the truth above all, in all things, but I tend to distance myself from the Kant-esque idea that the truth must be our only objective, especially not at the cost of the greater good. Which brings me to happiness.
So am I happy? Well...sometimes. I get cynical quite frequently (it's baked into my nature—especially since a rather curious high school experience) and that stands in the way of my happiness sometimes...but ultimately, I can say that I have actively experienced happiness and that I try to seek it out when I will allow myself to do so. I hope to take something useful out of this class that will help me further in that pursuit.
Okay I think that's a sufficient amount of rambling for now. If you like my ramblings (WARNING: CHEAP PLUG) you can check out my book, Stark Raving Lunatic: The Life and Times of a 20-year-old Part-Time Cynic, which you can grab at www.StarkRavingJMG.com in paperback or on Amazon.com in Kindle form.
Mill WAS a pragmatist and (proto-radical) empiricist, so far as James was concerned. Check the dedication to his "Pragmatism."
ReplyDeleteThe original Cynics must have been happy as could be. How happy would YOU be, to be able to tell (say) the president that all you needed from him was for him to step out of your sunlight?
I'll just add to Jon's intro that he's a super-nice guy, and that he's the undergrad philosophy club's new leader. Let him know if you're interested in helping rebuild it.
Who are you? Why are you here?
ReplyDeleteGuten tag! I am Wilhelm Schwarzwald, but if that's not vanilla enough for you, you can call me William.
I am a Philosophy major (FINALLY, feels good to say it) and Poli Sci minor, and the president of Pi Kappa Delta, a rhetoric and logic honors society on campus, so please feel free to contact me if any of those two things apply to you. I work closely with the debate team to promote civic engagement, and make people cry by shouting louder than them.
As far as why I'm here, I'm sure my parents are better suited to answer such a question, most likely a drunken decision in a parking lot.
Are you [have you ever been, do you hope ever to be] happy?
This class is of particular interest to me because I was diagnosed with a plethora of mental "disabilities" when I was a child, of them, the most notable were Bipolarity, Clinical Depression, and ADD. I just got reevaluated for those about 2 years ago to similar results. However, I've never taken any medication, mostly due to my mother being against neuro-drugs (she herself was on them for multiple years to very cumbersome results). So for me life is anything but "happy", mentally. Atleast not the sort of happiness I see in the movies, or written about, or sung about. I always joke with my friends that I have 3 emotions, focused, angry, and satisfied, and I'm usually feeling any two at any given time.
With that said, I'm extremely curious to see what is said of happiness from a philosophical standpoint, and perhaps getting some non-chemical tips for getting rid of such a bad case of the perpetual grumpies.
After three classes with William (aka "Wilhelm"), I can reassure you all that he's much more sweet and cheerful than his intro might lead you to believe. He also has a good sense of humor, which is why I think I can joke about his "grumpies" while hastening to add that we will indeed have serious philosophical conversations in HAP 101 about depression. In the meantime, here's a non-chemical tip (it always works for me):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Have-you-tried-taking-long-walks-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i9356869_.htm
(The Reply box can't handle cartoon graphics, apparently, so I'll post this atop our blogsite.)
Hola!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy(?) to chime in as the third angst-ridden Philosophy major to sign up for Dr. Oliver's Philosophy of Happiness course. I consider myself as a relatively happy guy. Oh, sure, there are days I feel like trying to slit one of my wrists with one of those plastic sporks they give you at Taco Bell, that useless plastic utensil that fails miserably at any attempt to eat one of their new Smothered Shredded-Chicken burritos. I imagine myself bleeding out in front of the half-empty condiment container as the assistant store manager sops up the blood gushing from my wrist with a handful of those little brown napkins while the cash register lady plops one of those tall yellow slippery-when-wet safety signs down by my head so the customers will know to walk around the area. I imagine this scenario every time I'm in a fast food restaurant, but my suicidal thoughts are usually interrupted by an open bathroom door that reveals the jet-engine sound of someone fully entertaining themselves with a wall-mounted Xlerator hand dryer, or I'm temporarily distracted by the camo-wearing redneck in a tri-cone hat at the drive-through window blasting the latest out-of-tune Toby Keith single from his 1200-watt stereo in his jacked-up 4x4 pickup. And those are my better days.
Satire notwithstanding, I’m a blues-rock artist, producer, musician, songwriter, and wanna-be poet. My wife, Carol, and I have been married 28 years (I’ve been around a while), and we live down the road in Smyrna, Tennessee with our 3 doggies. Although I’m working on my undergrad, I’ve been through all the upper level ,RIM classes at MTSU (some twice for the studio time) and love, love, love, Philosophy. Although I’ve taken Philosophy classes on and off for several years, I started back full-time last year to complete my degree(s). When I finally graduate, I’ll have a degree in RIM and Philosophy. You can browse my songs, poems, and musings over at www.deanhall.com.
I consider myself an atheist, humanist, realist, secularist, naturalist, empiricist, beeriest, and guitarist—in no particular order. I’ve been known to be a pluralist if you catch me at a moment of weakness.
All in all, I’m pretty happy, but I get pretty worked up over social inequality and injustice. So I embrace the unhappiness and angst. In the end, I usually end up with a song, poem, or a blog-post out of the deal.
I’m taking this class because I’ve studied previously under Dr. Oliver and he’s an excellent professor. He’ll challenge the way you think about life no matter what your worldview might be.
College Philosophy classes are exactly what keep parents up at night. You just might start thinking for yourself.
I look forward to meeting everyone, quirks, angst, and all.
I’ll leave you with a couple of quotes from Christopher Hitchens.
“Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way.”
“Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely soley upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake.”
Live mas!
I would be happy if I could figure out where that rogue comma came from in my second paragraph between "upper level" and "RIM."
DeleteLive Mas, I see what you did that, starting and ending with the Taco... mmmmhm
DeleteHeyo,
ReplyDeleteMy introduction will not be nearly as witty or informative as my previous comrades, but here goes nothing.
I'm Megan Phouthavong.... (pronounced POO-TA-VONG) and I am a Sociology Major, Philosophy/Psychology double Minor. I finally declared my minor as philosophy after taking Dr Phil's Intro class last semester.
Have I ever been happy? I think within the blissful ignorance of childhood I was probably happy, frolicking through the back alleys barefoot not thinking that maybe that was a bad idea and I could get some crazy disease.
Now? I tend to say I've fluctuated between sadness, bordering on depression and fleeting moments of happiness, or at least indifference which is much better than sadness. Recently, however, things are looking up and I'm finally beginning to the feel that euphoric feeling people call "being utterly happy". I recently quit working at my high stress, high volume job (Sorry Dr. Phil, I'll still try and bring you something awesome for... some holiday that warrants food) and have taken a month to do whatever the hell I want...
which has been pretty much nothing and its been pretty awesome. Alas, school is impending and its like a cloud of doom and a ray of sunshine at the same time. I am eager to jump back into the swing of things and expand the horizons of my mind...
Cheesy enough?
Hi Megan,
DeleteI'm happy you caught my protracted taco metaphor!
Also, glad you took a month to do whatever the hell you wanted.
The cheese was lovely!
As were the Loveless biscuits that Megan graciously supplied on Valentine's Day! But I didn't have to stress over them, I'm glad you're free.
ReplyDeleteLet's agree to accentuate the ray of sunshine. We'll all be happier.
The taco metaphor was ingenious, and funny. But I've come to expect nothing less from Dean, one of the friendliest and funniest and most talented guys I know. Look for him on YouTube in a circle with Gretchen Wilson, singing "Me & Jesus"... I nominate him as Chairman of Thursday Happy Hours.
I second that nomination.
DeleteNomination accepted!
DeleteAs Chairman of Thursday Happy Hours, and as the legatee of such an affluent appellation, I hereby solemnly affirm that I will uphold, enact, and execute, to the best of my ability, the unlimited executive power and duties bestowed upon me, which entail but are not limited to:
1. Securing an adequate sized table to accommodate guests.
2. Greeting incoming guests.
3. Flagging down a waiter or waitress for grog for me men and ladies.
4. Listen for a lull in the conversation to ask an open-ended question.
5. Pretend I know what I'm talking about.
Please feel confident that, as your Chairman of Thursday Happy Hours, I have extensive experience in this capacity, and not just on Thursdays.
My slalom ski best,
Dean
Without objection, and hearing none, I declare the nominee's appointment ratified by acclamation. Congratulations, sir! Just one request: on nice days (and I'm extremely liberal about "nice") please try to secure outdoor seating.
DeleteMay I just say, that having a night class Thursdays, I am utterly ecstatic about our after hours meetings, giving me something to fill my time between classes as well as refueling, re-energizing, and overall re-boosting my motivation for a night class.
DeleteHi, my name is Ken Mory.
ReplyDeleteWho am I?...... Lemme get back to y'all on that......
Have I ever been happy?
I have had the happiness of a child that sees dragons, elves, trolls, and ogres everywhere.
I have had the happiness of a first kiss.
I have had the happiness of thick ale, a pipe, and exaggerated tales from good friends
I have had the happiness of a fight well fought.
I have had the happiness that involves a lover, a rainy day, pajamas, and bad movies.
I have had the happiness of seeing my son, moments from the womb, relax when he heard the songs I had been singing to him for nine months.
But still, I ascribe to the Herodotion idea that we should "count no man happy until he is dead."
Oh, man, you again! (this is in jest, in case text bars that from being obvious)
DeleteKen again...... I'm here because I think happiness may be a path rather than a clearing......
ReplyDeleteA path, yes!
ReplyDeleteKen, the first time I taught HAP 101 a student quoted Herodotus on the first day of class, but he thought "count no man happy until he is dead" was a bleak and pessimistic commentary on the tragic human condition... a confession of world-weariness, a renunciatory observation that all is suffering (and then you die). But I read it more as an Aristotelian statement. Happiness is NOT so fleeting, it's the project of a lifetime. So we're not officially "Happy" 'til we're done, but in the meantime we can have lots of good days, like the ones you've enumerated! I think Tuesday's going to be another of those!
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Brenna and my middle name is Joy, which suits me very well. My usual choice is to be happy/content. Occasionally, I experience depression and/or disappointment, when I feel those I welcome them until they pass, which I believe is normal and to be expected in such a life as unpredictable and wavering as this one. I am interested in learning about more approaches to what happiness is and how it is affected.
I've been described as having a combination of sweet southern hospitality and the west coast open mind. Who I am is to be debated but what I do is a sufficient reflection; I am studying Spanish as my major and Philosophy/Linguistics as my double minor, I will soon be graduating then moving to San Diego to attend graduate school for Oriental Medicine, I am the 7th of 9 children(same parents), and I dance different forms of swing to 1920's jazz.
Look out for that predatory San Diego mayor, Brenna. (Joy?) (But he'll be gone before you arrive, surely.) I love San Diego, it used to be my ambition to live there. (Now it's my ambition simply to live wherever I am.)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter the college freshman told me this afternoon that her Linguistics class may be her favorite. My wife's a registered acupuncturist; and the '20's were (was?) great. Wait... "7 of 9"? Are you a fan of Star Trek Voyager, by chance?
Did your college freshman daughter choose a northeastern school as she was contemplating last semester??
DeleteShe did, but they were late with the admission acceptance (or we were late opening it) and in the interim she made another selecction, a lot closer to home. Tell you all about it at Happy Hour.
DeleteSeven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One
Deleteaka Annika Henson
aka Brenna Joy ;P
Hello, my name is cassity Degges. Please call me Cat, most people do and I much prefer it. That however is not who I am. I would love to tell you some fascinating story about who I am but I am not exactly sure I know who I am. Here is some of what I do know; I am learning disabled though I love to read. I also enjoy some forms of writing’s never finish anything I start to write it seems but I still enjoy it. I also enjoy music, art, drama and anything to do with animals. I am also rather opinionated and do not always think before I say things. Those things may not come out worded as nicely as I would like. I do not intend to offend but I sometimes offend with my intent. I had a wonderful ethics teacher in 2007 who was amused by this he got me interested in philosophy. I am now 24 and it is one of the few things that can still hold my interest. That and fantasy. I am just as content rambling about places and people that don’t exist as I am rambling about those that do.
ReplyDeleteI am here to learn more philosophy and to hopefully have a good semester for a change. That is my goal .that is my hope and that is why I am here.
On to the next question. Am I happy? That rather depends on the day. There are many days I would flat out say no. I tend to be pessimistic and the past few years have been difficult am also bad to get impatiencet with people who do not understand disabilities and it can make me bitter at times. But I have been happy before and I hope to be happy again. Even when life seems to be giving me years worth of miserable crap there are always bits of happy sprinkled threw out. I just have to remember to look for it. I tend to find my happiness in good music and friends at a pub or a cat on my lap and a big book in hand. I hope this is at least sort of what you are looking for.
Hi Cat! Have you met Kat yet? Hmmm, that's going to cause a bit of confusion. Mind if I call you Bruce, to keep it clear? (Ignore that, if you're not a Monty Python fan.)
Delete"Good music and friends at a pub," you betcha! "Big book in hand," too. "Cat on my lap" I don't look for, but he jumps up there anyway. His name is Zeus. (My daughter named him during her Percy Jackson phase.)
My words don't always come out right either. As Wm James said, wisdom consists largely in knowing what to overlook!
I'm sure we can figure out a newer nickname for me, but I'll leave that up to the class as a whole. Re-naming myself seems strange. OR we can just answer collectively.
DeleteCat, I feel like we'll have a lot in common--Maybe we could answer collectively when our names are called. Kind of like a creepy twins-in-the-haunted-hallway way? :P
Hello!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Solara Amethyst Key, I'm a junior here at MTSU, majoring in Exercise Science. I hope to do a lot of work writing books within the "new age" or metaphysical community, as well as pursue work modeling and doing any kind of entertainment work I can find.
Now that I have told you what I do, I'll move on to the who am I questions. I am here for spiritual growth all the way. I highly value life and every experience I encounter. I understand that my relationship with Source, as some would call it, is composed of the way that I transfer the love and light from the collective consciousness to the earth. In this way, I contribute the best I can to add to the positivity while I am here.
So, in that way, I'm very happy. I focus on the positive aspects in life and try to weed out as much negative as possible. Also, by trying to take care of myself, it gives me feelings of being worth taking care of. Because of this, it boosts my outlook and creates a more fluid flow of energy. Happiness is a choice after all.
"Don't be fooled by your emptiness, there's so much more room for happiness..."
Thanks! See you all soon! :)
What a cool name!
DeleteI've been known to give the New Age a somewhat less than sympathetic hearing, occasionally. (And that gets me into hot water with my spouse, who's far more attuned to the Chopra-Dyer (etc.) species of Enlightenment than I. (I tend to agree with Julia Sweeney's judgment on Deepak... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5-mLoeNxn0)
So far as I can tell, Source is pretty indifferent to my day-to-day activities and concerns. But seriously...
I think we're pretty much in total harmonic convergence here, with respect to the value of positivity and volition with respect to happiness. Always room for more, yes indeed!
I'm really interested in reading what you've written! Your outlook is so intriguing to me, with such brilliance and positivity, that I can't imagine your writings being anything but inspirational. I, too, find that taking better care of myself makes it a whole lot easier to appreciate others' efforts to help me. I get much less defensive when I'm comfortable :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello, my name is Samantha Bailey. This is my last semester of classes at MTSU; I'm only lacking a full time internship this summer to graduate! I am an Outdoor Recreation major because I love to be outside and would like to somehow make a living off of helping people enjoy natural environments responsibly. I have never been in a philosophy class before, but when I was looking for meaningful electives I was intrigued by this course and even more so after reading some introductions. I wanted to take a look at happiness from a philosophical point of view to help identify meaning and values in my personal life as well as being able to share happiness more effectively. I have always been happy with friends, family, and things I am passionate about, but this came with my own case of the "grumpies." I used to blame my occasional pessimism and lack of faith in humanity on high school, so I graduated early to escape it. However, now I just blame it on other things like working in the restaurant business for years. I feel guilty for this every now and then because I know how lucky I am, and my first world problems are nothing I can't handle. I am looking forward to relating my introspection to what I learn in this class.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to avoid "1st world probs" when that's where you live, isn't it? I felt the same way about my high school, and thankfully never had to work in food service. But more and more I find myself repeating the cliche about H'ness being a choice that one can make in even the most depressing environments. Well, not THE most. But if you've got enough food, shelter, friends, free time... you can set up your Epicurean Garden just about anywhere, provided your genes don't sabotage your choice.
ReplyDeleteHowdy y'all! I'm Joshua Moore. I prefer Josh for simplicity. This is my fifth year at MTSU in the philosophy program. Though this is my senior year I do not know for sure when it is that I will be leaving this place.
ReplyDeleteI came to this campus without a clue as to what I was truly interested in. It was terribly confusing at first! My first interest coming out of high school was that which I had always known at the time, landscaping. Seriously, I wanted a degree in turf management in the beginning. Suddenly and without warning, I was bitten with the philosophical bug of inquiry my freshman year and now have set my sights on law/med school after my undergrad years are over. I am now interested in facilitating the changes which I would like to see in the world on a much grander scale than the blades of grass that I previously occupied my time with.
My presence in this class is for the purpose of fulfilling a degree requirement. That's why I come to class. I enrolled in an institution of higher education and now must fulfill those requirements in order to attain my degree. Money was my motivation for enrolling in that institution as my belief at the time led me to think that by acquiring an education I would gain an advantage on those around me and eventually make more money than everyone else who doesn't have a degree. That was my reasoning upon entering college.
Money has always seemed to have a very strong correlation to the level of happiness being experienced by any particular being in my experience. I notice that my own outlook on life has been heavily attached to the funds in my bank account at very many life junctions. Of course, this correlation to human happiness is generally accepted in my family as " If you have money, then you must be happy. Without money, there is no happiness and how can you possibly live without having money to buy and pay for those material 'things,'which make us happy."
I no longer subscribe to this. Thankfully, I have been given an avenue of income that provides for my financial well-being.
Happiness for me is found in the sheer moment of existence which we find ourselves in. I am no longer attached to material manifestations and look forward to the occasional opportunity to shed all of my belongings and rove about the world as a gypsy spirit with nothing but my banjo on my back. No matter the amount of disspiritedness (call Websters, we got a new word here!) I encounter, I am constantly reminded that I am HERE, NOW, in this particular moment of space/time. That alone is joy, peace, and happiness for my experience of life.
The whole money problem is one that I've had to force myself to accept as unavoidable struggle. I'm really glad that you've found the money--does this mean you'll be able to buy fancier git-fiddles?
DeleteWho am I?
ReplyDeleteWell, my name is Cameron. I am an Aerospace major, hoping to finish up in May. This is my hometown, born and raised. I am the youngest of four and the second to major in Aerospace. My brother is an Air Traffic Controller in Atlanta Georgia and inspired me to become a controller as well.
Why am I here?
The first and most common thing I hear when I tell someone my major is "Oh, you know that is one of the most stressful jobs out there". I also hear comments about the suicide rate and divorce rate being really high with controllers. So, this ties into the third question...
Am I happy?
I consider myself happy at this time in my life. I am here to continue my happiness. I hope to learn a deeper meaning of what happiness is so I can carry this into my career later in life. I am not afraid of becoming unhappy after graduation but I figure in such a high-stress job, this class couldn't hurt.
Is there anything about air traffic controlling that you enjoy that might help illuminate why you chose it as a profession in light of all of those immediate "did you know"s?
DeleteNot to put you under the gun, or anything. I was just curious :P
DeleteI'm friends with Steve Baird, who teaches air-traffic control here at MTSU.
DeleteSmall world--wouldn't want to weed-eat it though.
Who am I?
ReplyDeleteThe most fitting description of myself would have to be a curious man. I see something, therefore I question it. Perhaps it makes sense that I am a Political Science major. This college experience may be my last in the South.
Why am I here?
More. I am here in this class, and in this school, for more information. There are things out there that just simply require a bit of collaboration. I wish to have a greater pool of intelligence from which I can truly make my judgements.
Am I Happy?
I'm at about a 6/10. Happiness, to me, is divided into categories. Happy in my private hobbies is one, happy in my relationship another, but I still lack happiness for those closest to me; some people deserve much more.
I really like that you distinguished categories of happiness. I feel like we often ignore our compartmentalized feelings and focus on the whole as being black/white, happy/sad, etc.
DeleteMy name is Kathy Hyland and I am a senior. I returned to school in January after a long absence and hope to graduate in May with a degree in Philosophy.
ReplyDeleteHappiness seems an excellent focus for study and I thought our first class was over too quickly--always a good sign.
I live in Nashville with my family and consider myself happy. Like many people, I suppose, I have experienced loss and even despair. Happiness has necessitated I "learn to perceive" (Bok, p. 2) circumstances in way that leaves room for "happy."
Hello Philosophy of Happiness companions!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Katlin (Kat) Joelle Kolby, and I'm not entirely sure that the "who I am" question has the same answer today that it will have tomorrow...or had yesterday, but there are some relatively consistent things that I can share:
I want to teach philosophy at the collegiate level eventually (Major Philosophy, Minors in Religious Studies/English). Preferrably Intro, Ethics, and some kind of Philosophy of Children's Literature that I'm currently attempting to develop. I'd like to be a storyteller and work with people of all ages in re-engaging in a mythic structure (Love me some Joseph Campbell)--mostly be getting a feel for exactly what we (specifically youngsters) think of when we consider folklore, fairy tales, myths, etc. Clearly these are all very different categories of both oral tales and written literature, with plenty of history and context, but I feel as though the study of Children's Literature (though only recently established and certainly worthwhile within the realm of the English department) doesn't quite include CHILDREN in the discussion, and the few authors that have tried to bring a philosophical perspective to Children's Lit are still feeling out the field and trying to get a grasp on what it is that we're trying to accomplish by combining the stories with the thoughts ABOUT the stories. The goal is to get kids to critically engage with the stories more than they currently are and to convince parents/teachers to allow and encourage them to do so. Either way, it's clear that I'm pretty passionate about this. Thus, it's my career choice. Tertiary to all of this, I want to write my own children's literature as well as guides for parents in storytelling and philosophy for children.
I also create art insofar as I call it art (many critics would certainly disagree that my doodles and half-finished works constitute art proper, but screw them, right? :P)
I'm a dancer, though unlike some of you beautiful women up there, I lack specific styles (though I'd love to learn to swing dance to 1920's jazz--that sounds tremendously fun. Brenna, help a sister out? One step at a time, though...pun intended)
I find happiness in so many different parts of life, including sadness and depression upon reflection. It's hard for me to answer the question "are you happy?" without immediately asking dozens of questions as a response. How are we defining the term? In what context? Just today? Overall? How could I try to make happiness quantitative? By what scale? Overall, I think the person asking me the question would eventually give me an eye-roll and a "well, let's just say 'yes' then," which is why I love Philosophy classes. This is the medium through which we CAN ask all of those questions without scoffing at one another for not providing definitive answers. Not that this outlook only exists in the confines of a philosophy class, but that it's much more likely to be within philosophical mindframes. Like Phil's daughter and Phil said, I'm workin' on it. Happiness is kind of like a butter for my bread, but the bread is pretty delicious whatever I put on there...Rambling transmission complete.
And as of today, just a minor in English >->
Deletewho am i? well that is quite the question. i am jacki. i find glee in adventure and love all beautiful things. i collect items, hugs, and thoughts. also i love tea.
ReplyDeletewhy am i here? b.c i am. is that an answer? well... thats the one i am going with.
am i happy? hmmmm.... yes! but also with a no. some days i bruise. some days i ooze. some days i lose. however, those are the days which have helped create me...so i wouldnt change them.
Hugs coming your way this afternoon, Jacki :)
DeleteWould you be interested in wearing a hug sign and keeping tally of how many you receive? I did it a recent semester, but I think during this class it would be an interesting thing to actually keep track of.
Hello all. My name is Leigh Koger. I was the first to do introductions the other day before we got off on a tangent. I am a senior majoring in photography and minoring in theatre. I am currently one of the media directors for the Photo Society of MTSU. I am a non-traditional student which basically means I’m old enough to be a lot of you guys’ mom. I did not have the opportunity to attend college when I was younger but I feel as though I would not have done as well as I have been able to now. My biggest pet peeve is when my family and older people ask me what kind of “job” can you get with a degree in photography. For starters, I did not come back to college to “get a job.” My main reason for returning to college was to get the education. I grew up in rural north Alabama and graduated from a rural high school. After attending college I realized just how inadequate my free state funded education was.
ReplyDeleteOn a more personal note, I have been married for 16 years in October. My husband had a liver transplant on my 40th birthday so I am also a care giver for him. I have two younger brothers who live in Alabama in the same area as my mom and dad. I have a niece and a nephew that I spoil rotten as any good aunt will do.
I have never taken any philosophy classes so I have no clue what you guys are talking about when you talk specific names and theories. Please be patient with me .
As far as the happiness question I would say that I am in general a happy person. I am human and am not happy every moment of every day, but that does not mean I am unhappy. It just means someone has managed to throw me a curve ball. As a care giver, there are times when you have to be in a good mood and happy for the other person. You want to try to make them feel good as they go through trying times. Going through menopause at the age of 44 also doesn’t make me happy 24-7 either.
Before I forget I would like to place a shameless plug here……
Please come by the organization day next month on 9/4 when the photo department will have a table set up. Come by and see that photography is still alive and well and not a dying art! We hope to have a demo or two plus several different types of cameras to check out.
It's no big deal not being familiar with names and theories--I'm a Philosophy major and I still get stuff mixed up :P Patience is something a lot of us should either have already or be working on anyway.
DeleteMy name is James Davis and this class is really full circle for me as the Special Readings in Happiness was the first upper division philosophy class i ever took, but i decided to drop it in hopes that it would become its own class. Luckily that was the case and i jumped at the opportunity to take the class again. I have spent the last eight years moving around the country and searching for my place in the world. I have been a student off and on the whole time, yet i don't think one necessarily needs to be in school to consider themselves a student.
ReplyDeleteI am often happy, but as i stated in class the other day I think it is much more important to seek contentment. Happiness is a fleeting feeling and is a perpetual chase if you want to be in that state all the time, but if we learn to accept the moments where joy overwhelms our lives instead of shutting it out in hopes of a better experience we will lead much more fulfilling lives. One should not sit around and wonder if they are happy, because through too cynical of a reflection or by unfair comparisons it is easy to dissuade yourself. You must seek happiness in your immediate experience.
"Actions seems to follow feeling, but really actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness, if our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there.”
William James
Hi, my name is Tony and im a Norwegian international student seeking a bachelor degree in music production. I spent the spring of 2013 attending Academy of Art in San Francisco and now im back to finish my degree at MTSU.
ReplyDeleteFor me, experiencing a different culture and the people living within it, is a deep rooted experience that broadens my perspective and brings happiness to my life.
Hey, My name is Otto, im a junior philosophy major and musician.
ReplyDeleteI would say im fairly content, but not nearly satisfied with life. Id say that's a good thing, cause if i was happy with where i already am, i'd be too complacent to progress any further. Yeah,,,,
Hello, my name is Maia Lewis and I am a studio art major in my senior year. I signed up for this class because it sounded like fun. I haven't taken a philosophy class since high school, and look forward to our future discussions.
ReplyDeleteI consider myself a very happy, playful person when I feel that I am in an environment safe enough to share my inner child.
Hello Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is John Holloway and I don't entirely know who I am, I have a bit of an idea and speculations though. I am under the opinion that our language does not have the capacities to for capturing the true essence of people/phenomena.
After commuting to MTSU from my childhood home in Nashville, I transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. There I completed a semester and fell ill with neurological Lyme Disease, subleased my apartment and moved back to the aforementioned childhood home. I took last spring off from school to think, figure some things out, and mostly work for testing and things of that nature.
Tuesday was my first day back and I truly cannot express my excitement for the class discussion potential and the remarkably interesting book line-up. I found myself in a room full of people both intellectually intimidating and inspiringly opinionated simultaneously. I am grateful for the opportunity to take a class such as this. At UTC i took psychology of happiness and well-being in conjunction with a class on mysticism in eastern and western religions(where we read William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience. In addition to other factors, it made for a very transformative semester.
I am a junior.5 and am pursuing studies in Philosophy and the psychology of happiness plus neuroscience. For close to a year now, I was fortunate enough to have been given a job to broadcast a radio program to 94,9 FM in Hudson Valley, NY, where I discuss how to maximize your potential as a human being based on findings in research in the fields of neuroscience and the psychology of wellness, to put it simply. I also delve into topics around Eastern spirituality and practices.
In my personal life I try to immerse myself into many flow arts, such as fire poi, writing, creating music and various forms of art- and even my broadcast- as these are all very therapeutic for me. I love to travel when I can. This December I will be spending in Iceland on my own to explore and gain some new perspectives and opinions.
I could ramble on, but a few of my biggest influences are Oliver Sacks, Alan Watts, Noam Chomsky, William James, Herman Hesse, Amit Goswami, Ram Dass, Martin Seligman, and Carl Sagan- Just to name a few.
I feel like, especially westerners, spend too much of their lives looking forward to things and 'doing' rather than simply 'being'. Tapping into the observing self is one of my main techniques for getting through tough times. The observing self being the you behind your thoughts- you observe your thoughts as they go by in your head just as you would a car driving past you on the road. I appreciate the experience of the full spectrum of emotions though, and to answer the question on happiness... In this moment, I could certainly say I am happy. I wrote this on my phone last night and it was more detailed, but blogspot wouldn't let me Captcha from mobile alas.
Looking forward to this class!
~ John Holloway
Welcome back, John! Post a link to your show when you get a chance.
DeleteThanks John. Is there a way to listen to your broadcast online? It sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWho am I and why am I here?
ReplyDeleteHello, everyone!
My name is Rebecca White, and I am beginning my junior year at MTSU. I hail from the hills of East Tennessee (a small town called LaFollette to be exact... LaFollette is about 45 minutes north of the much better known Knoxville, TN). I ended up at MTSU solely because of music (I play trumpet). I was pursuing a degree in music performance, but I recently decided to change my major to Liberal Studies, which is actually a fascinating degree program. I cannot express the elation of my young heart at the freedom which has been granted to me. I actually get to study what I want to study and explore a wide range of interests without "wasting time" in the eyes of the university. College just became a whole new world for me. I love music, but life as a music major is incredibly demanding... and it began to feel too narrow for me, so here I am! I am finally taking the classes I want to take. It may sound like a big party, and I have plenty of people telling me, "Have fun working at Starbucks for the rest of your life!", but I brush it off because I'd much rather spend the rest of my days as an intellectually satisfied barista than a robotic receptacle of information which means nothing to me.
Am I [have I ever been, do I hope ever to be] happy?
I acknowledge that I am young, but I feel like my 20 years of living have so far granted me a pretty wide spectrum of emotions. Perhaps part of that comes from being a musician. I do not necessarily hope to be happy, so much as I hope to retain the sense of peace that comes with knowing that there is beauty to be found even in the deepest times of sadness.
One of my favorite quotes:
"My dear,
In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realized, through it all, that…
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.
Truly yours,
Albert Camus”
I am so excited to be a part of this class. I think it is so fascinating to witness people speaking with so passion and vigor about something. I don't expect anyone to agree with what I have to say, and I don't expect us to discover the "right answers". I am just excited that we all care. I am excited that, as young people, this is something we have a chance to talk about with each other. The fact that we are asking these questions about happiness and meaning in our lives is a very comforting thing to me. I look forward to interacting with all of you!
:) happy happy.
Hello. My name is Katy Seymour and I am a Philosophy major. I previously went to UTC but I moved back to Murfreesboro about three years ago when my twins, Mya and Julian, were born. I took a year off and then luckily got a job at a tax firm. I'm here because I'm trying to finish my degree at MTSU by fitting in a class here and there while working full time and raising two kids alone but I'm getting there!
ReplyDeleteI would say I am happy. I've experienced extreme highs and lows and a few years ago I might have had a different answer. I believe happiness is fluid and I've been able to somewhat control my happiness or at least give myself more opportunities to experience it by changing my perspective and finding happiness in little things as important as larger dimensions.
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is William Hardy but I go by Parker, It is my middle name. I am a senior and going to be graduating this december with a degree in Political Science. Philosophy is one of my passions in life and I am proud to say it is my minor. I have actually completed all the hours I need in Philosophy, but I just saw this class and could not refuse to take it, I figured there is a reason for everything, and this would be a great way to end my college experience.
why am I hear? Well that is the part of life I m trying to figure out every day I guess. Then again if we knew why we were here wouldn't that take the fun out of it? All i know is I am here, so every day I make the best of it.
Am I happy? This is the tough question, well I would say I know that I am content with myself for my age, but I know I have a lot of work ahead of me in life. I seem to only get happiness when I achieve things. For example if I sit around and play video games all day ( which happens sometimes ) I feel pretty depressed...temporarily. But if I go out and i backpack through western Europe (which I did last summer ) I feel great about myself and I feel that I have accomplished something.... I feel like i'm doing something right. It's kind of hard to explain, but I feel as if i'm happy when I'm doing the right thing, and on the correct course. As we discussed in the last class life is temporary and short, if I feel as if I am wasting it away it seems to put me down, I am the type of personality that always has to be doing something new, fun, and challenging.
I am brennan.
ReplyDeleteThis class fulfills credits!
I am happiness.
Who are you? Why are you here?
ReplyDeleteBetter late than never I suppose!? My name is Ashley McCarthy, but most of you know me as the girl that comes to class late every day! :)... this would be because I drive an hour from work in Nashville every Tuesday and Thursday just to be here! I'm a staff accountant for a small CPA firm in Nashville. I semi-technically graduated with my BBA in accounting this past May... Well, I walked the stage, does that count? lol. Ok, not so technically... haha... actually I decided to try to CLEP out of western civ... aaaaand ended up failing it by two points (after studying for like two weeks straight, and having written like 500 pages of notes)!... I will say that THAT. DID. NOT. Make me happy! lol, especially since I had already tested out of 3 other (what I considered) harder courses, and had done exceptionally well on them! Anyways, I'm here another semester, and since I only need the one class, I figured I would go ahead and take a couple more class to knock out the 4 measly credit hours I am short to sit for the CPA exam... aaaaaand since I'm done with all the classes I "have to take", I decided to take what I "want to take"! I took Intro to Philosophy a few semesters back, and absolutely fell in love with this area of learning!
Are you [have you ever been, do you hope ever to be] happy?
To answer the other two questions, you will also need to know that I am 29 years old; currently going through a divorce with my high school sweetheart, whom I had spent 11 years of my life with, and been married to for 9 of the 11; the mother to an almost 3 year old little boy, who is the entire reason for my existence, and the only thing in my life that was ever able to inspire me, not only dream big (because I had always done that), but to actually do SOMETHING to make those dreams happen!
So, with all that being said, I am here, because I need this class NOW, more than ever! People usually look at me and assume (probably because I'm always smiling,) that I am happy, but it's a false presumption. We have learned to relate a smile to one's happiness, but sometimes smiles mask pain and sometimes even fear.
As to whether I've ever been happy... the things that come to mind when I think of happiness are: the image of mine and my son's faces the day he was born ; the image of mine and my husband's first kiss (just as with the first time I met my son, the image is as if I was an outsider watching from above); and the feeling of contentment that comes over me, as I am laying with my son at the end of the night, and reading to him, and I think to myself "at this very moment, there is absolutely nothing I could ever want more".