Happiness

Livability of the Environment

This phrase denotes the quality of living conditions. Different disciplines emphasize different aspects of the environment. Natural conditions are emphasized by ecologists who describe livability in terms of pollution, global warming, and the degradation of nature. The built environment is emphasized by city planners who associate livability with such things as sewer systems, traffic jams, and ghetto formation. Society is central in the sociological view on livability, both the quality of society as a whole and the relative position one has in society. Livability is not the same as what is called happiness in this entry. It is a generic term for environmental preconditions for happiness, and not all these are equally conducive to happiness.

Life Ability of the Person

The next phrase denotes how well we are equipped to cope with the problems of life. Individual capability involves in the first place absence of functional defects—that is, health in the limited sense, sometimes referred to as negative health. A second aspect is optimal functioning, commonly referred to as positive health and associated with energy and resilience. In that line, capability is also placed in a [Page 380]developmental perspective and seen to include acquisition of new skills for living. The term self-actualization is often used in that context. Like livability, life ability is not the same as what is called happiness in this entry. If one is competent in living, one has a good chance at happiness, but this endowment does not guarantee an enjoyable outcome, and not all capabilities are equally conducive to happiness.

Utility of Life

The bottom left phrase represents the notion that the quality of a life is not only in that life itself but also in the contribution it makes to other things. This is sometimes referred to as the “meaning” of life. Different external effects are considered in the context of utility: the impact a life has on other people, its contribution to human civilization, or even its long-term effects on the biosphere. In moral philosophy, life is judged on its moral or esthetic value, and exemplary lives are seen as better than standard lives. Such “virtuous living” is often presented as the essence of “true” happiness but is not the same as happiness as defined in this entry.

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