What Does the "Pursuit of Happiness" Mean?

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence · Jul 2, 2026 · 1h 9m · transcript

with Andrew Sola and Prof. Darrin McMahon (Dartmouth U.)

"Happiness" is mentioned twice in the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence, but what does it mean?

In this episode, Prof. Darrin McMahon, best-selling author of Happiness: A History, outlines the history of happiness and its various meanings.

Topics include:

-the history of the word in English and other languages

-happiness in the classical Greek and Roman philosophical traditions

-happiness in the Judeo-Christian and Buddhist traditions

-Enlightenment concepts of human happiness from thinkers like John Locke, Jeremy…