Pursuit of Happiness, the Liberal Arts, and Veepology
Birthday Thoughts
“Why is keeping kosher good?” my cousin, a distinguished scientist asked.
I answered that it’s a commandment, so doing what Hashem wants is good in and of itself. My relative wasn’t satisfied with that answer, he asked how is it good for health?
Had I been more on the ball, I would have said that health is only one kind of good. There may be arguments that keeping kosher is both healthy and environmentally sound, but that is not the purpose. Keeping kosher is following a commandment, which is good in and of itself.
Yesterday (after a long look at JD Vance’s intellectual project) I discussed how the “pursuit of happiness” is in our political DNA. Happiness is reflected in those activities we do with no further purpose, or put colloquially, what would we do if we didn’t need to work for money.
Happiness is not simply pleasure or amusement. There is an element of action in happiness. For Aristotle, the highest level of happiness, was seeking knowledge for its own sake and contemplating the great mysteries. But there are other paths to happiness, from gardening and painting, to meeting friends and volunteering, and a thousand other endeavors. Happiness isn’t only a solitary activity: helping others, being with others are fundamental parts of happiness.
From the Depths of Middle Age
I’m thinking about these things because today is my birthday and I am at an age that is no longer young (except perhaps in the U.S. Senate.) I am not yet old, but I am well into middle age. Time is no longer a vast savannah, spreading endlessly in all directions towards far-off horizons. Of a two-week vacation, I’m on day 9. There’s a lot of neat stuff to see and do, but soon I’ll be thinking about packing up and going home.
One of the greatest sources of happiness in my life has been my children. They have been the ends. Much of what I have done over the past two decades have been the means to this end. But this effort is nearly complete. My offspring are well on their paths (and utterly delightful people.) My freedom to pursue happiness is expanding. I am fortunate that this is the case.
Veepology
I did not know that studying the vice presidency would become a passion. I did my dissertation as a means to an end, obtaining a PhD, which then opened new career opportunities (which in turn helped me send my kids to college.) But the topic itself became a source of fascination.
Veepology is a path from the particular to the general. Studying vice presidents is interesting in and of itself, but it can also be a window into society, politics, and history. Studying vice presidents can show how and why things unfolded as they did. Further, comparative Veepology moves across time and space, as we study similar roles in other polities—how they came about, what they do, and who comes to hold the position.
I have become a Veepologist, not to become rich and famous (although it would be nice, and I do enjoy those very occasional perks.) I do think it is useful, but ultimately I study vice presidents and their ilk because it makes me happy.1
Happiness and the Liberal Arts
The key word in liberal arts is liberty. Liberal arts are what one studies when practical needs have been met. Will majoring in literature, philosophy, or history make you a more capable writer and critical thinker? Sure. But that is not their purpose. The liberal arts are the ends, the things we do as an end to themselves because they make us happy.
I don’t believe everyone should sit around reading Great Books (although I sure as hell enjoyed my time at St. John’s College).2 There are other paths to happiness and we should all be free to pursue them. Today we are asking big questions about what our society is for. What are the ends of this vast association. Too often we focus on production and consumption. But we produce and consume, not as ends in and of themselves, but as means. In the liberal arts, we consider the ends. It will make us, in the great sense of the word, more “liberal.” It is the path to liberty and ultimately to happiness.
I have my means and my path. If I could be granted a birthday wish, it would be that everyone enjoy the freedom to pursue happiness.
Fear not, my life isn’t just VPs. I love going to art museums, have a personal quest to understand the great painter Giorgio de Chirico. I teach, I read literature. We can be and do many things.
Plato, among others, thought philosophy was dangerous stuff. He recommended its study should begin in middle-age.