Perspectives on Liberty & Happiness
Norman Furniss
Political Science
Our Declaration of Independence states boldly that all men (which we will translate as people) have an “inalienable right” to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. In this seminar we will focus on the last two ideas. How are “liberty” and “happiness” conceived? What are the tensions between these two values? Can they be combined fruitfully? This exercise is not fundamentally abstract. We will attempt to tease out what these ideas might mean for us as individuals and as members of society. We will explore questions such as these: Is it within our liberties as we define them to “flip off” the President and not lose our job? Is it within our liberties to refuse to have our children vaccinated for measles? How important to happiness is making (a lot of) money? These and other issues lead to the fundamental question of how the ideas of liberty and happiness could help us navigate our lives. These values are often seen as alternatives, forks on the road of life. As our major guide to the value of liberty, John Stuart Mill, bluntly advised, “better Socrates discontented than a contented pig.” But there is another possibility: Perhaps the values of life and happiness could interact in mutually reinforcing ways so that together they could constitute the necessary conditions for a fulfilling human existence. This outcome requires thought and purposeful action. My hope is that this seminar will offer some guidance. There will be a variety of course materials including classic texts, court cases, news articles, as well as a few poems. These should be short enough to allow us time to frame and defend our own positions. Core written assignments will center on a series of short essays based on your reading, class discussion and your own life experiences. There will be an examination toward the end of the semester. I would be pleased to discuss specifics. My office is Woodburn Hall, room 415. Email furniss@iu.edu.
Catalog Information: HHC-H 212 PAST AUTHORS, QUESTIONS II