Aphorisms and Idioms: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
L
ife, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness doesn’t mean what you probably think it means. This oft-quoted phrase is, of course, an inventory of the unalienable rights listed in the Declaration of Independence. And, given today’s sensibilities, this expression sounds like it means we have the right to do whatever makes us feel good.
However, in the eighteenth century, the word happiness meant more than just doing your own thing. What it conveyed was the deeper, more significant concept of human flourishing.
Though happiness was indeed seen as a private right, more importantly, it was also understood as a public duty… to live an honorable and principled life in order to ensure that all members of society could flourish and thrive.[1] So, the intended meaning of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a far cry from permission to “just do you.”
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Aphorisms And Idioms Here.
Aphorisms And Idioms Here.
Endnotes:
[1] Conklin, Carli N. “The Origins of the Pursuit of Happiness.” Washington University Jurisprudence Review. Volume 7, Issue 2, 2015.
Available at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_jurisprudence/vol7/iss2/6
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