Maximum length: 750 words
Please write a clear, coherent essay on ONE of the following topics. Be careful to state you thesis at the beginning of your paper (avoid generalizations of the sort, “throughout history…” or “happiness has been a subject of interest since…”). In the conclusion, summarize how you have demonstrated it. Be sure to quote AT LEAST THREE short passages (not more than a few words) from the assigned materials in your essay (these may include materials in the PowerPoints). NOTE: The topics are meant to stimulate thinking; you are encouraged to formulate an argument of your own.
Note: spelling and grammar count! Be sure to proofread your paper. Every sentence must have a verb; avoid run-on sentences and dangling participles. Look up the meaning of any words that you are unsure of. You may refer to assigned readings by abbreviations in parentheses in the text (e.g., Aristotle Ethics, Xenophon of Ephesus, Lucian, Freud).
Topic 1: Do we need others in order to be happy? You may discuss the relationship between happiness and friendship or love. Again, do we need others in order to lead a fully virtuous life (assuming that virtue is essential to happiness)? If we could take a drug that would make us oblivious to others, would that amount to true happiness? You may consider Aristotle’s vision of the contemplative life, or the Zen idea of being alone; be inventive.