Brian JohnsonChairman & Philosopher in Residence at Heroic

The Practice of Happiness

30 Mar 2011 · 1 min

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A short Philosopher's Notes segment by Brian Johnson summarizing a chapter titled "The Practice of Happiness." Johnson reframes Jefferson's phrase "the pursuit of happiness," explaining that 'pursuit' historically meant a disciplined practice (as in medicine or law). He credits Marci Schaimoff's book Happy for No Reason as the source of the idea and points to a related Philosopher's Note.

Chapters

Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to a Philosopher's Notes. Today we've got a chapter called the Practice of Happiness. Thomas Jefferson declared that we all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's a pretty powerful statement. But did you know that in Jefferson's day, the pursuit of something didn't mean you chased after it. It meant you practiced it. Like the pursuit of medicine, or the pursuit of law, or the pursuit of happiness. Happiness isn't some elusive treasure we chase after. It's a state of being we need to practice. I got that sweet idea from Marci Schaimoff's great book, Happy for no Reason. You can check out the Philosopher's Note on that as well.