Happiness should not be confused with pleasure. Can it be achieved through will and wisdom, or does it depend on luck and good fortune?

1) Happiness and virtue

A. Pleasures and goods.

Happiness does not depend on the number of material possessions we have, since wealth or fame is illusory and often a source of unhappiness. As Epicurus teaches, we must order our desires and prioritize them, so as not to confuse those that lead us to happiness with those that only lead to pleasure.

B. Happiness results from virtue.

Happiness is the satisfaction we derive from ourselves. It can only be achieved by escaping the illusion of goods that do not contribute to it. Aristotle demonstrates that happiness results from virtue, the practice of which allows us to fulfill our true aspirations.

2) Is it our destiny to be happy?

A. Eternal bliss.

If wisdom is necessary to achieve happiness, our desire to be happy may remain unsatisfied. Christian religion teaches that happiness is not of this world, as our desire can only be fulfilled in communion with God and the bliss it gives to those whose souls are saved.

B. Does duty oppose happiness?

Morality is not the pursuit of happiness, which is selfish. It is imposed on us by duties, a categorical imperative from which we cannot escape. Nevertheless, fulfilling our duty and being virtuous makes us worthy of happiness according to Kant.

3) Is happiness an illusion?

A. A futile and uncertain pursuit.

Those who believe that material comfort or wealth and fame are necessary for happiness condemn themselves to dissatisfaction. Thus, to be truly happy, it is not enough to aspire to these trivial satisfactions, as only the pursuit of truth or wisdom will provide us with genuine satisfaction.

B. Material happiness is illusory.

While Christianity promised happiness in the afterlife, modern societies claim to offer material happiness within everyone's reach, displayed in catalogs and store windows. But this staging highlights the futile nature of collective material happiness, as the poor and unlucky are excluded from it.

C. Happiness is bland.

The desire for happiness is insipid. By seeking happiness, we refuse to put our lives to the test, which is the only way to find truth. The desire for a trouble-free happiness, sheltered from all risks, is a form of resignation, a refusal to confront what we fear the most, namely death and our own destiny, according to Nietzsche.