We continue our journey through the Declaration of Independence and we have now reached the final part of the most famous phrase in the document and, perhaps, American history. This last inalienable right is very intriguing for two reasons. One, Jefferson is going off the Locke script and not saying "property" which the political doctor said was a natural right in his Two Treatises of Government. Two, Jefferson has the word "pursuit" in his right. In other words, we do not have an inalienable right to be happy but we have the right to "pursue" it. Are we pursuing it like Usain Bolt in the 100 meters or like Don Quixote's windmills? .Is this pursuit more like Captain America or Captain Ahab? Why jettison the word "property" and why replace it with such an odd phrase "the pursuit of happiness"? Let's try to figure it out. As you might guess, we are not the first people to ask these two questions.
Check out this article from Dr. Carol Hamilton where she explores this issue. If you are being lazy or just want to test my summation skills, Hamilton posits that Jefferson actually was plagiarizing Locke, just in a different tract called Concerning Human Understanding. Considering that Locke not only uses the exact phrase but he too uses it connection with liberty, the second inalienable right of the Declaration. The necessity of pursuing happiness [is] the foundation of liberty. - See more at: http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/46460#sthash.UBHuva1H.dpuf Yet the quote goes to show that Locke is plagiarizing himself, taking the concept of common good and civil virtue that were often tied to happiness by the Greeks and Romans. The pursuit of happiness then is more of an Aristotle idea, believing in creating a state that promotes goodness. As Harvard professor Michael Sandel phrased it in his incredibly popular Justice class, "to promote and cultivate the virtue of its citizens". That way the "pursuit" is like the phrase "in order to make a more perfect union", it is important because it is a continuing journey for ourselves and posterity to create this virtuous nation. Happiness is a journey towards a nation noteworthy for its peace and prosperity. This leads my mind to two queries. 1. How do we balance our selfish, hedonistic happiness with what promotes the overall happiness or utility of the community? 2. This still does not explain my other question, why not just say property? As Dr. Hamilton points out, many Americans derive their happiness from various forms of property (sports cars, pool memberships, Playstations 4s) My answer to this first query takes me back to the same place I always go when asked about right/wrong, good/evil and that is the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative is a philosophical concept brought about famously by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). To break it down the best I can, the categorical imperative focuses on the right and wrong of separate actions. This is important when it comes to defining the limits of our freedom but this also applies to happiness. When does my happiness infringe upon others? If I eat all the cake it may make me happy but others do not get to have that cake. Drinking alcohol may make people happy but their actions behind the wheel will leave people very unhappy. How do we find the balance? The categorical imperative simply means that you should not do something unless you are prepared to live in a world where everyone is allowed to do that action. I suppose it is a variation of an even older concept, the Golden Rule. As Kant phrases it: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law. If others cannot do it, you cannot do it either. You are not special. This only scratches the surface on the issue of happiness but it seems like a good place to start a discussion. How do we achieve Jefferson's version of happiness? America has done good job expanding upon the limited definitions Jefferson had of the first two rights but I wonder if we have actually limited (or at least tainted) this one, do you agree? Are we too obsessed with being happy? Later this week I will tackle the issue of ditching property as an articulated right.
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