Image(s) courtesy History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries; copyright the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma.
neera badhwar
Happiness as the Highest Good, forthcoming from Oxford University Press
Abstract:
I argue (i) that an objective conception of happiness, defined as a sense of fulfillment in a worthwhile human life that expresses one’s own individual nature, is prevalent in everyday as well as philosophical thought, and that we are justified in having this conception of happiness; (ii) that a worthwhile life must be (a) self-directed (autonomous) and (b) realistic (informed and reality-oriented, i.e., committed to staying in touch with the important facts of one’s own life and human life in general, and being disposed to act accordingly); and (iii) that to the extent one is autonomous and realistic, one is virtuous.