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Jennifer asked:

Do you think that we will ever come up with and ethical definition of happiness? Do you think that the
world will ever be universally happy?

============

I don't think that "happiness" does have an "ethical" definition at all. After all, isn't happiness a state of
mind that even bad people may (perhaps undeservedly) have? It may be that you think that we all
oughtto seek happiness although clearly, the three questions: what sort of state of mind is
happiness? how can that state of mind be achieved; and whose happiness should be achieved? (only
our own or that of that of others?) But a great philosopher, Immanuel Kant, once said that the moral
question is not how to achieve happiness, but how to deservehappiness. For would you not agree
that undeserved happiness is not a good thing? (Although it need not be a bad thing.)

Will all people someday be happy? I would, myself, doubt it? But is that necessarily a bad thing.
Would you want evil people to be happy? I wouldn't.

Kenneth Stern