Course Code: PHIL 2000
Academic Year: 2025-2026
In the last 25 years, there has been an explosion of interest in happiness. People have always wanted to be happy of course; our oldest religious and philosophical traditions from around the world have offered us guidance on how to pursue happiness most effectively. What is new in recent years is the attempt to examine and test these ideas experimentally. In this course, we will employ both philosophical and psychological perspectives to explore what it is that leads to happiness, and what it is that gets in our way. But just as importantly, we will explore the many things that we might want out of life that go beyond merely being happy: things like love, personal growth, authenticity, and the feelings of awe and wonder.