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Unit of study_
PHIL2647: Philosophy of Happiness
2025 unit information
We all want to be happy and to live a worthwhile life. But what is happiness? Why should we want it? And how do we get it? These are among the most fundamental questions of philosophy. We will evaluate the answers of major thinkers from ancient and modern and eastern and western traditions; and consider the implications of current psychological research into the causes of happiness for the question of how to live well, as individuals and as a society.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Philosophy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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PHIL3647 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. appreciate traditional and recent philosophical approaches to the nature of happiness and well-being
- LO2. understand philosophical conceptions of the nature of rationality and the extent to which there is a normative rational requirement to pursue well-being or happiness
- LO3. engage in philosophical examination of recent approaches to achieve well-being
- LO4. analyse the relationship between preference-satisfaction and well-being: will getting what we want make us happy?
- LO5. demonstrate skills in conceptual analysis of notions such as well-being, happiness and desire
- LO6. demonstrate an understanding of recent empirical literature surrounding well-being and happiness
- LO7. display comprehension, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and creative-thinking skills.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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