(August 29, 2021 at 8:49 am)Spongebob Wrote: This is why I said it was difficult to define. Happiness is not an exact concept. Is the absence of suffering "happiness"? Perhaps to some. Is it rather elation with life? I'm not going to pretend to define it for anyone other than myself.
That's a bit of a copout. We can define it generally, at least the pieces involved, like emotions and circumstances, enough to have a discussion about it without being in danger of prescribing how people should live. Otherwise, we talk past each other like, "unless you associate contentment and peace with happiness." ...yes. Peace and contentment ARE a part of the definition of happiness.
But I at least understand better what you are saying about the modern versus past definitions of happiness.
