Compare and Contrast Essay: In Pursuit of Happiness vs.What Suffering Does

📌Category: Articles, Emotion, Life
📌Words: 942
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 30 January 2022

There is no one hard and fast definition for the term happiness. Happiness differs from person to person; different people have different perceptions and conceptions of being happy. Whatever that may be, Happiness is an essential feature of human life. To contribute to this, Mark Kingwell, a philosophy professor, in his piece, “In Pursuit of Happiness,” outlines how there have been numerous disputes about the definition of happiness for countless years, but humanity has struggled to come up with a single, defensible interpretation (Kingwell). He talks about the challenge in understanding happiness, which can lead to general dissatisfaction. Additionally, the article “What Suffering Does,” by New York Times columnist, David Brooks, digs into this idea through claims that suffering plays a major role in people’s lives because it helps them grow as individuals. Brooks states that happiness is just one piece of “the human drama” and suffering is the other (Brooks). While both texts exhibit ethical and logical appeals to further prove their claims of happiness, there are different assumptions presented. Kingwell approaches the issue of defining happiness, and Brooks emphasizes that suffering changes the perspective of happiness. 

Foremost, Mark Kingwell and David Brooks both published works about happiness, although each author makes distinct assumptions about the subject. Kingwell opens his post by presuming that all humans want to know why happiness is so important in people's lives. The author goes into great explanation regarding how individuals attempt to define happiness, despite the fact that philosophers have virtually always failed to do so previously. Searching for a one-sentence explanation of happiness, according to Kingwell, is "a mug's game (Kingwell)." He, in particular, describes the term as a game with no outcome.  The author may be pretending to have a true understanding of what happiness is, and he continues to emphasize the value of happiness. David Brooks, on the other hand, delves into an assumption by claiming that suffering is important in people's lives because it helps them grow as individuals. According to Brooks, happiness is only one aspect of "the human drama," while misery is the alternative (Brooks). Brooks's topic of conversation is applicable to everyone's existence because it is something that everyone has direct personal experience with. Brooks' main ideas are that suffering allows people to gain an entirely different perspective, better appreciate what others are going through, and discover more about themselves (Brooks). Brooks provides examples to demonstrate that, while people's primary purpose in life is to find happiness, it is difficulty that shapes them.

In addition, the use of ethical appeals are both present in both Kingwell's and Brooks's texts. To prove his credibility, Kingwell begins by making an ethical case for happiness as a controversial term and contradiction that is difficult to express in a simple statement (Kingwell). Happiness, according to Kingwell, is "clear, yet explicate," although he never gives a specific definition (Kingwell). This section contains a wealth of reliable and accurate information. The author relies on a wide range of experts, from those who cannot identify happiness to those who can establish it through science. Renowned essayists and writers, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, are quoted by Kingwell. He also cites biological and psychological research that suggests happiness is determined by genetics (Kingwell). Furthermore, the author's data come from a variety of fields of research and medicine, which adds to the credibility of his argument. Similarly, Brooks uses a variety of examples to demonstrate the comparable argument. In Brooks's article, he expresses that  "Franklin Roosevelt came back deeper and more empathetic after being struck with polio (Brooks)."  That incident demonstrates how Roosevelt's perspective on his leadership and on the search for happiness transformed when he contracted polio. Brooks also offers a variety of examples, including concentration camps, World War II, as well as a psychologist to back up his ideas (Brooks). Because the author is providing historical context to prove his thesis and establish his authority, these examples successfully use ethical appeals. This shows that there are facts in the material to back up the author's credibility. When an author has outstanding arguments and supporting data backed up by facts, it strengthens the author's assertion and makes it more convincing.

Lastly, both authors use logical appeals to further prove their claims. Kingwell proceeds with a realistic and rational technique; his tone is analytical but also heartfelt. This is because he frequently stops his own ideas when discussing significant research on happiness (Kingwell).  This is accomplished intentionally to make the audience feel comfortable and not bombarded by information. The author then concludes the piece by accusing the distinguished professors of being "preemptively pessimistic" and of constructing a "prison of biological limitation (Kingwell)." He believes that while happiness can be expressed in concise, artistic sentences and in an intellectual approach, it is not something that can be purchased or practiced (Kingwell). Happiness is inevitably attained by one's own efforts. Brooks, on the other hand, utilizes the same method but with different examples. According to Brooks's article, happiness motivates you to optimize one's benefits, whereas pain does not (Brooks). When you go through a difficult period of hardship, for example, you begin to value things differently. Most of the time, one will place a higher value on the objects that are truly priceless. Meaning, family, friends, and living life to its fullest are all important factors to consider (Brooks). The author employs logical appeal by offering historical information and relating to the audience in order for the reader to better understand his ideas. This demonstrates to the audience that as one begins to recover from a period of pain, one emerges transformed. The experiences of a person influence their perception, causing them to appreciate happiness more than unhappiness.

Ultimately, Kingwell's article "In Pursuit of Happiness" and Brooks's piece "What Suffering Does" are comparable because they employ similar appeals and assumptions to accomplish very opposite objectives. Kingwell shows how happiness is a difficult notion to describe, and that attempting to do so leads to sadness. Brooks seemed to be implying that pain provides a person with a genuine awareness of happiness. In summation, people define happiness in a variety of ways, and there are numerous ways to demonstrate this abstract concept.

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