Happiness in the Structure of Normativity (part II - Happiness)

Abstract

The main presumption in ethics before Kant was that in pursuit of his activities, man should strive first and foremost at making himself happy. Subsequently to Kant’s argument contravening the notion of man’s duty to promote one’s own happiness and his theory of naturalistic fallacy, contemporary theories of normativity (except utilitarianism) are based on the premise of separating normativity from happiness. Arguments are presented in this paper in support of   critical statements that (a), without reference to happiness, normativity cannot be satisfactorily explained nor justified and (b), that the utilitarian concept of happiness cannot justify normativity. The author gives an outline of the normativity structure and ponders why normativity should be respected. He presents a concept of happiness which does not exclude normativity but provides the necessary justification for it. After identifying the concept of happiness, its core is described as euthymia, understood as stable satisfaction with being a subject. The author concludes that   happiness and normativity are complimentary.