On Happiness

"If we have our own why of life,
we shall get along with almost any how.
Man does not strive for pleasure;
only the Englishman does."
(Friedrich Nietzsche: The Twilight of Idols, Maxims and Arrows §12)

Different accounts of happiness:

- see the entries on Aristotle and Kant on their concept of happiness

- John Rawls (1921-2002): happiness is explained by reference to the concept of life-plan. Being in the process of fulfilling a meaningful and reasonable life-plan accounts for happiness.

- Cicero's (106-43 BC) account of happiness is based on the four personae. The term persona originates from the theater, from the term "mask", and signifies "role". Life is thus explained by means of the metaphor of the game; life is understood in terms of the roles we are given and that we take on.
1) Our reasonable human nature that all human beings share in common
2) Our own nature-given individual character
3) The circumstances: parentage, culture, influence, upbringing, social-historical context etc.
4) The fourth persona is our genuine life form. It's the role we choose. It should be orientated at 2) and 3), with the emphasis on 2).

Reference: Ricken, Friedo: Allgemeine Ethik, 3. Auflage, Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1998