This last week we talked about an important women
social thinker for the first time and her name was Harriet Martineau. I was
excited about getting the chance to read some theories from a woman, since we
have focused on men thus far in the semester.
One of the aspects that I find most interesting with
Martineau’s thoughts and concepts is her idea of happiness and how it should
operate in a society. She said, “the most important law of social life is that
“the great ends of human association” aim above all “to the grand one, - the
only general one, - … human happiness” (Classical Sociological Theory 296).
This to me means that Martineau was very focused on the fact that if people
were happy, their lives would be “good.” One thing that she failed to define, however,
is her definition of happiness. As people brought up many great points in
class, happiness is totally different from person to person and country to
country. What makes me happy could make another person depressed and vice
versa. If Martineau defined what she thought happiness is, I think that her
theory on the social law of people being happy would become a lot clearer but I
think that her overall message is valid. If one is happy, it is typical that
they will lead a good life and some would say that leading a good life may lead
to living out the American dream.
The video that I picked for this blog sheds very
positive light onto what the American Dream is. I like the fact that the video
gave examples in the beginning that the American Dream is different for every
single person in America. The speaker says that “for some, the American dream
is to achieve prosperity” and for others, “it is to provide for their children.”
He goes on to say that no matter what your American dream is the very core of
every dream is the belief in freedom. I agree with this statement because
without freedom, many opportunities would be taken away from people. Things
like education, freedom of speech, and the practice of religion would be
compromised without our freedom.
I believe that Martineau’s views on human happiness
apply in today’s world because I would say that living a happy life is a lot
more enjoyable than living a life that is unhappy. The American dream ties into
many people’s definition of happiness and I think that with one’s own
definition of their dream, being happy and achieving that dream is very
possible.
I think that you did a great job summarizing Martineau's concept of happiness. I also thought that the idea of happiness was interesting in terms of trying to understand its meaning. It was fascinating how the man in the video said that, "Whatever the American Dream is to you, at its very core, it's the belief in freedom." So, does that mean that for one to have an American Dream, they have to believe in a true freedom? But then it would seem that one would have to define freedom, which is a whole different story. My question for you is, do you think that there is such a thing as true happiness? Depending on how the concept of happiness is viewed, can happiness actually help a person lead a good life?
ReplyDeleteI thought your blog was very clear and summarized Martineau's theory of happiness very well. The video was a good example of what the American dream is to most people, and I agree that freedom is the primary thing that leads us to being happy. I also liked that you noted that happiness is different from person to person, which I think is hard to sum up as a whole nation. The one thing that I was confused on was the idea that you had about how happiness leads to a good life and than you can lead to the American dream. I also pictured that once you achieve the American dream than that would lead to happiness. Overall, great blog!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post about Martineau's sociology. I like how you explained that her definition of happiness wasn't clearly defined, so it can vary from person to person. I also liked your video of the "American Dream" it helps our culture identify what our versions of happiness revolve around.
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