Abstract

As phenomenological study, this work philosophizes about happiness through a consideration of this phenomenon as a conscious lived experience. Presupposing the broad conclusions of metaphysical realism and realistic epistemology, the investigation focuses upon the perennial problems of what happiness is, the sources of happiness, the conditions necessary for its attainment, and the role of happiness in the motivation of a moral acts. Within the Munich tradition of phenomenological realism, the attempt is made to examine the structures of happiness which disclose its necessary, essential nature. ;Assuming conclusions about the nature of man as a unity of body and soul, the investigation identifies happiness as primarily a phenomenon of the spirit. While not denying that the experience of happiness is affected by physical states, happiness is seen as an objective condition or state of the soul dependent upon the moral-religious being of the person. Thus being happy is a consequence of the soul itself and its natural activity. ;The state of happiness, however, must be distinguished from other conditions, such as contentment or pleasure. The investigation especially attempts to distinguish value-grounded happiness from the state of being subjectively satisfied which is often held to be happiness. ;Happiness is identified with pleasure because the state of happiness entails a pleasant feeling or experience. The feeling of happiness is an affective delight which bathes consciousness with a sui generis kind of pleasantness. The feeling is grounded in and complementary to the ontological condition, being a kind of radiance within conscious plane of the ontological condition of the person himself. ;A second source of happiness is found in objective values which confer happiness upon the value-conscious person. Happiness is gained through the morally relevant responses of the person to value-laden realities. These confer happiness upon the person. ;This illuminates the role of happiness in the motivation of the person. While not denying that happiness is the natural end of man, the thesis argues that happiness contributes to moral response in basically a secondary and contributory way