I think the Greeks called this eaudaimonia or flourishing: a state of being a virtuous, rational being. Thus the good you're interested is about eaudaimonia, the scope of which may be expanded to include everything from pens to gods.
You seem to think, erroneously???, that happiness isn't an emotion. Read below: — TheMadFool
‘Happy’ already IS feeling, it doesn’t need ‘feeling’ to qualify it. You’re confusing ‘happy’ as a feeling (which doesn’t require a qualifier) with ‘happy’ used as an adjective....It’s a misuse of language... — Possibility
but there is a clear reduction in happiness inherent in any morality — Coben
The meaning commonly referred to in our language as "happy," seems to be Eaudaimonia — Dranu
Incorrect because if it did mean that the world would be much better than it is and it isn't. You do the math... — TheMadFool
I'm sorry I do not think I understand what you mean. Are you saying that if Happiness is Eaudaimonia, everyone would be doing it fully? If so, I can think of many reasons they would not (the chief being ignorance, malice, and idolatry (being caught up in lesser fulfillment).) — Dranu
I do not deny that we can depart from a word's original etymology, as language is relatively arbitrary. However there seem to be some issues if happy is defined as A feeling of positivity, rather than simply positivity. After all, feelings plainly have objects (or they would not be differentiated). It would be, under that definition, improper to say one "feels happy," as happy is not an object distinct from the feeling. Instead, one ought to say something like one "feels good", and that is "happiness".
This seems to me an uncommon choice of language, but its not language I am trying to understand, but the meaning behind it. If that's what you mean when you use that word, then I agree with you, under your definition happy is not the same as good, as it is good qualified to a feeling only. Would you agree with that assessment? — Dranu
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