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Note: This essay should be used as reference and should not be copied word for word! Thank You! Are humans obligated to pursue happiness? Explain your position by drawing specific examples from the perspectives and theories covered in class. Yes. We are obligated to pursue happiness. From the history of McMahon, during the Enlightenment Europe period, everyone should be happy even if they do not wish for it. For example, the US declaration of independence states that every US citizen should be happy. It shows that even the government even believes that happiness should be legalised and come up with politics to ensure the happiness of the country, to make the citizens feel happy to stay in the country as it is a basic human right. Hence, historically humans want to pursue their own happiness that the government has to make decisions to ensure that its citizens are happy in life. This is also shown during the France Revolution, although it was radicalised with fighting and killing of those who are against the views of removing the social class system in France - for those of a lower class to obtain their own freedom and not to be salves to those of a higher social system. This shows that everyone should be able to obtain happiness in life. Hence, historically humans have wanted to pursue their own happiness even if it comes at a cost to others. Moreover, Mill says that we should pursue higher pleasures in life as being humans we should be above swine who only understand the simple pleasures in life, if not we are no better than them. We should try to understand and obtain higher pleasures to become happier in life such as knowing more knowledge and understand the world around us. We may not be as easily satisfied with life but once we obtain that pleasure, we will have a greater degree of happiness compared to those who only appreciate simple pleasures. Hence, we are obligated to not only pursue happiness but also to pursue higher happiness in life. Furthermore, Camus states that in life we have to understand and accept the absurd of where we are eventually going to die, and that life has no meaning but still revolt against it trying to find meaning in our meaningless life to continue to pursue our own happiness. Just like Sisyphus who still push the rock everyday even after knowing it will roll back down again, knowing that there is still hope to gain what we want to obtain in life will provide us the happiness of trying to pursue it. Bringing to Singapore’s context, Singaporeans always complain about many things in life – whether it is too hot outside or if the waiting time for the bus is too long. Singaporeans always want to obtain happiness, finding that they need to pursue more and more in life. Even coming with the idea of “Kia Su” meaning afraid to lose – always wanting to win in everything, whether is it in studies or in job success. For example, parents will always compete with one another on the amount of marks their children obtain in exams, showing off when one obtaining higher marks than the other. This is similar to Mill’s concept, where we try to pursue higher pleasures everyday by trying to obtain more and more knowledge, to become better in life in order to be

Note: This essay should be used as reference and should not be copied word for word! Thank You! happier in the future. Hence, Singaporeans want to obtain greater pleasures in life to become better than others and not to be swine, only enjoying simple pleasures. Moreover, this is shown in the government efforts to appease Singaporeans’ happiness, similar to the concept from the US. The government tries to come up with policies to ensure that there is no backlash from the citizens. For example, knowing that parents are always unhappy about their children being unnecessary stressed during PSLE and not even getting any happiness after finishing it since it does not determine their job security – making it meaningless in the future. The government decision to remove PSLE eases primary school students’ stress and to make parents happy, knowing that their children will not need to be so stress in life anymore. Another example would be giving free NS50 cards for all males who served National Service (NS) in Singapore in the past 50 years. Knowing that they will feel unhappy that they have painstaking serve their country but did not obtain any happiness back, the government feels obligate to provide them with the card to give them a sense of happiness. In conclusion, historically humans have been trying to obtain happiness by ensuring the government provides them the basic need of happiness, becoming radicalised when happiness is not obliged to them. Knowing to pursue higher pleasures to become more happier in life and understanding the absurd but still try to revolt and pursue our own happiness. Thus, humans are obliged to pursue happiness....