美國獨立宣言和德國憲法中“pursuit of happiness” 的真諦 虞和芳 15.4.24.發佈

美國獨立宣言和德國憲法中“pursuit of happiness” 的真諦 虞和芳 15.4.24.發佈 接到同學寄來的附件中一文有關 “pursuit of happiness”的意義，它時常被誤解，它的 真諦 是如“亞里斯多德的四項基本美德：審慎、正義、節制和勇氣。”對這篇文章我的回覆。 宇平 感謝來函和寄來的這篇，裡面談到的這句話 “The core argument of the book is that the phrase “pursuit of happiness” — Thomas Jefferson’s memorable phrase in the Declaration of Independence — is fundamentally misunderstood. We think of happiness as the pursuit of pleasure, Rosen writes, “but classical and Enlightenment thinkers defined happiness as the pursuit of virtue — as being good, rather than feeling good.” He explains how several of the founders imperfectly but quite intentionally and systematically listed the virtues they aspired to uphold and engaged in critical selfreflection about their own faults. As Rosen writes, “The classical definition of the pursuit of happiness meant being a lifelong learner, with a commitment to practicing the daily habits that lead to character improvement, self-mastery, flourishing and growth.” The emphasis is on the word “lifelong” — the pursuit of happiness is a quest, not a destination, in part because we are always a work in progress, even to our last days. ”“In Aristotle’s four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, temperance and courage.” 可圈可點。 這個故事使我想到以前寫的一篇小說 德國憲法第一章第一條 虞和芳 18.9.18. 和走往幸福的路上的另外一篇小說。 祝福 安康 虞和芳上，14.4.24.