27. Happiness, Fortune, and the Etymologies of Human Flourishing

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

• Etymology and Meaning: The three words used for human happiness (eudaimonia, felicitas, happiness) have different etymological roots pointing to different aspects of flourishing
• Happiness vs. Joy: The distinction between happiness as the ultimate end or purpose of man versus happiness as a feeling or emotional state (joy, delight)
• The Role of Fortune: How luck and circumstance contribute to human flourishing, particularly through Shakespearean tragedy
• Virtue and Natural Consequence: How misery naturally flows from vice just as happiness naturally flows from virtue
• Linguistic Degradation: How the English word “happy” has lost its connection to the philosophical meaning of happiness as eudaimonia

Key Arguments #

The Three Etymologies #

• Eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία): “Well-favored by a daemon” - suggests happiness depends on a higher being (daemon as angel-like)
• Felicitas (from felix): “Fruitfulness” - suggests happiness is the natural result of virtuous deeds, like fruit from a plant
• Happiness (from hap): “Luck” - suggests happiness depends on fortune and circumstance

Happiness as End vs. Happiness as Emotion #

• Happiness as the end or purpose (telos) of man is distinct from the joy that accompanies achieving that end
• People confuse the end with its natural result, conflating happiness with joyfulness
• The word “happy” now primarily means joyful (opposite of sad), but this is distinct from the philosophical sense (opposite of miserable/wretched)

The Natural Consequence of Virtue and Vice #

• Virtuous deeds naturally produce happiness, as Shakespeare indicates: “unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles”
• Misery is the natural result of vice, not merely sadness but a defective state of soul
• This principle applies even to one’s mistakes and ignorance about important matters

Fortune’s Role in Human Flourishing #

• Berquist acknowledges truth in all three etymologies: happiness depends on virtue (what we choose), on a higher being, and on luck
• Personal anecdotes illustrate how chance encounters and mishaps shape one’s life trajectory
• Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet demonstrates how fortune determines happiness or misery despite virtuous intentions

Important Definitions #

• Eudaimonia: Human flourishing understood as the ultimate end or purpose of human life, achieved through virtue
• Felicitas: The natural fruitfulness that results from virtuous action, analogous to how fruit naturally results from a healthy plant
• Misery (wretchedness): Not mere sadness, but a defective state of being, including being deceived about important matters
• Joy/Delight: The emotional pleasure that naturally accompanies the achievement of one’s ultimate end, distinct from the end itself
• Beatitudo: The highest form of happiness, used more properly in theological contexts for ultimate blessedness
• Makaria (μακαρία): Aristotle’s term in the Poetics, suggesting “good luck” rather than virtue-based happiness

Examples & Illustrations #

• Romeo and Juliet: Romeo’s fortune changes from good (meeting Juliet) to bad (misunderstanding leading to banishment and death), showing how luck determines tragic outcomes despite virtuous intentions
• Friar Lawrence’s Delay: The messenger’s delay due to plague quarantine prevents Romeo from learning that Juliet lives, illustrating how circumstance (bad luck) overrides good planning
• Solon’s Saying: “Call no man happy until he be dead” - acknowledges that turns of fortune can overturn apparent happiness
• Titus Andronicus: Shakespeare’s tragedy showing that even those who die valiantly in battle may be more truly happy than those who survive to face further misfortune
• Mark’s Job Search: A practical example of how a misreading of a letter caused a delay that led to an offer from California instead of elsewhere, changing the course of his life
• Boston Bar Encounter: Chance meeting with a Canadian academic through cigarettes, illustrating unexpected life-changing encounters
• Lincoln’s Providence: Common people speak of being guided by “someone upstairs,” recognizing a higher power in their fortune

Notable Quotes #

“Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles” (Shakespeare, Macbeth)

“I am fortune’s fool” (Romeo, Romeo and Juliet)

“Call no man happy until he be dead” (Solon, cited by Aristotle)

“Happiness is the end or purpose of man, not the joy we have when we reach that end”

“The word happy, in English, has taken on the sense of joy…but that’s using the word happy in a different sense”

Questions Addressed #

• What is the difference between happiness and joy? Happiness is the ultimate end or purpose of man; joy is the emotional result that naturally accompanies achieving that end. They are related but not identical.
• How do the etymologies of eudaimonia, felicitas, and happiness differ? Each points to a different aspect: eudaimonia suggests dependence on a higher being, felicitas suggests the natural fruitfulness of virtue, and happiness suggests dependence on luck.
• Does virtue alone guarantee happiness? No; Aristotle acknowledges that fortune plays a genuine role. One can be virtuous yet miserable due to circumstances beyond one’s control.
• Is the modern sense of “happy” the same as the philosophical “happiness”? No. Modern English “happy” (opposite of sad, meaning joyful) differs from philosophical happiness as the ultimate end (opposite of miserable).
• What is misery? Not merely sadness, but a defective state including being fundamentally mistaken about important matters, even if one doesn’t feel sad about it.