Lesson 5 - Life, Happiness, Suffering, Death

EXISTENTIALISM

• philosophy that seeks to understand human existence and the significance of human experience

• ability of the individual to make choices and commit to them to make something out of his or her life.

1.IS A HUMAN LIFE WORTH SAVING?

2.SHOULD PEOPLE CONTINUE TO REPRODUCE AND BRING MORE LIFE INTO THIS WORLD?

3.SIGNIFICANCE

4.HOW AN INDIVIDUAL HAS MADE AN IMPACT OR ACHIEVED HIS OR HER GOAL IN LIFE

• what is the meaning of life?

SUPERNATURALIST VIEW

• life gains meaning from a relationship with the divine

• God defines life’s meaning by assigning a purpose to the person

• we are all created for a reason

NATURALIST VIEW

• one can achieve meaning in life even without the spiritual realm

• influence of supernatural forces in life

SUBJECTIVISM

• one who defines his or her own life’s meaning based on his or her desires, goals, and choices.

OBJECTIVISM

• there are no subjective bases for life’s meaning

• must seek to attain certain standards and goals that define meaning in their lives

NIHILISTIC VIEW

• futile and irrelevant to ponder the question of life’s meaning

• existence unknowable chaotic, and irrational

• understanding one’s life is impossible

1.ST. AUGUSTINE

2.SOREN KIERKEGAARD

3.VIKTOR FRANKL

• what is my life’s purpose?

ST. AUGUSTINE

• apart from gaining happiness from physical needs, the person also seeks spiritual satisfaction (fulfilled by the love of God)

1.SELF-ACTUALIZATION

2.LEAP OF FAITH

• soren kierkegaard

1.AESTHETIC STAGE

2.ETHICAL STAGE

3.RELIGIOUS STAGE

• self actualization

AESTHETIC STAGE

• senses, impulses, and emotions

ETHICAL STAGE

• awareness of universal moral standards

RELIGIOUS STAGE

• establishes relationship with God

LEAP OF FAITH

• movement from the moral to religious stage

1.WILL TO MEANING

2.ABSURDISM

• viktor frankl

1.CREATIVE VALUES

2.EXPERIENTIAL VALUES

3.ATTITUDINAL VALUES

• will to meaning

CREATIVE VALUES

• creation of something worthwhile in life

EXPERIENTIAL VALUES

• interaction and experiences of positive aspects of life

ATTITUDINAL VALUES

• adoption of a positive attitude toward negative experiences

ABSURDISM

• person tries to make sense of his or her life and find meaning in it, he or she eventually realizes that such meaning cannot be found

GABRIEL MARCEL

• metaphysics of hope

“METAPHYSICS OF HOPE”

• in times of trial and despair, people naturally hope for release or salvation from adversity: Hope is a natural and inevitable response to trials and despair

HAPPINESS

• state of mind

• evaluation of one’s experiences in life

EUDAIMONIA (GOOD SPIRIT)

• person’s well-being or happiness

PLATO

• equates happiness with living a moral life, practicing virtues, fulfilling personal and political duties, and controlling one’s desires

ARISTOTLE

• happiness is the primary reason for human action

• one becomes happy through the practice of virtues and the accumulation of achievements toward excellence

ST. AUGUSTINE AND ST. AQUINAS

• happiness as a union with God

UTILITARIANISM

• happiness based on the greatest happiness principle

• person’s actions are considered moral or desirable when they produce the greatest happiness for other people

WLADYSLAW TATARKIEWICZ

• "satisfactions with one’s life as a whole”

RICHARD BRANDT

• traces a person’s happiness based on a total life pattern—a person should not only be satisfies with the life he or she has lived but must also feel constant joy and enthusiasm in life.

WAYNE SUMNER

• a sense of well-being form having lived a life that is enriching and rewarding

JEAN BAUDRILLARD

• within a consumerist society, a “successful” and “happy” life is determined by one’s social standing, wealth, and power

1.CONTENTMENT

2.WELFARE

3.DIGNITY

• 3 distinct elements of happiness

THE EIGHTFOLD PATH

• the Buddha said that we should end suffering and find enlightment by the following the eight teachings.

1.RIGHT UNDERSTANDING
2.RIGHT PURPOSE
3.RIGHT SPEECH
4.RIGHT ACTION

5.RIGHT WAY TO EARN A LIVING

6.RIGHT EFFORT

7.RIGHT MINDFULNESS

8.RIGHT CONCENTRATION

• the eightfold path teaching

SUFFERING

• experience of unpleasantness, discomfort, and pain

• Physical suffering

• mental suffering

WELTSCHMERZ

• realization that the world can never live up to the ideal, “perfect world” resulting in feelings of sadness or apathy.

ANGST

• fear and anxiety due to the crisis brought about when a person beings to question his or her purpose and reason for being

ENNUI

• feeling of weariness and discontent brought about by a lack of interest or intense boredom with the world

1.PESSIMISTIC VIEW

2.THEODICY

• what role does suffering play in human life?

PESSIMISTIC VIEW

• human existence is characterized by suffering caused by man’s inability to meet his unlimited wants and desires

SCHOPENHAUERS

• man is able to address the chaos and suffering in the world by focusing on aesthetics an morality

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

• suffering is inevitable, is meant to suffer

• certain suffering can be beneficial and can result in personal growth and development

GEORGE SEFLER

• life experiences considers suffering as one of many interrelated elements that define the meaning of experiences throughout life

THEODICY

• philosophical branch that tires to reconcile the existence of a benevolent, all-good God with the reality of suffering in the world.

COPING

• anticipating and preparing for stress

• seeking support from other people

• implementing stress management (physical activity, relaxation, and constructive emotional release)

• humor

DEATH

• end of all biological functions that sustain a living organism

AGING SENESCENCE

• gradual decline of the human body indicates the certainty of death as a person ages

GRIEF

• natural reaction to death and ding

• involves a multitude of emotions (sadness, anxiety, anger and guilt)

1.DENIAL

2.ANGER

3.BARGAINING

4.DEPRESSION

5.ACCEPTANCE

• 5 stages of grief

DENIAL

• refusal to believe

ANGER

• frustration with his or her situation

BARGAINING

• people think that things will improve if they behave in a certain way

DEPRESSION

• intense sadness

ACCEPTANCE

• comes to terms with death

1.RESILIENCE

2.RECOVERY

3.CHRONIC DEPRESSION

4.DELAYED GRIEF

• bonanno: 4 trajections of grief

RESILIENCE

• emotionally stable despite the loss

RECOVERY

• experiences grief but return to normalcy

CHRONIC DEPRESSION

• depression may persist for several years (may need medical support)

DELAYED GRIEF

• may seem to be well-adjusted but experiences grief at a later time.