Centre College of Kentucky (Danville, KY 40422-1309)
William Weston (Project Director: September 2010 to September 2014)
AQ-50371-11
Enduring Questions: Pilot Course Grants
Education Programs
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[Grant products]
Totals:
$23,748 (approved)
$23,747 (awarded)
Grant period:
6/1/2011 – 5/31/2014
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NEH Enduring Questions Course on "What is a Happy Society?"
The development of an upper level course on the question, What is a happy society?
What is a happy society? We will consider answers to this question from classic philosophical arguments and compare them with empirical studies from modern social science. We will first consider answers to this question from classical philosophical arguments (Aristotle, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill). Next, we will study Tocqueville?s seminal work examining the birth and early development of a modern society. Finally, we will discuss the findings of new studies such as ?positive psychology? and ?happiness economics? concerning what makes people happy. Within this classical-to-modern context, we will explore the seeming elements of a happy society (e.g. service to others, a culture of trust, familial networks) and the role they play, either singularly or together, in creating a happy society.
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