Happy Days

Dr Max explores an intriguing question: is the pursuit of happiness more significant than the quest for purpose?

Are you happy? Take a moment to think about it. It’s an important question because we are constantly told that being happy is important, aren’t we? What does occur to me though is that there is more to life than simply the pursuit of happiness. Pure hedonism quickly loses its appeal. What really matters is that our lives give us meaning and a sense of purpose.

To show you what I mean, I want you to imagine that scientists have invented a machine that can be hooked up to your brain so that it can give you every pleasurable experience you could ever want. It can stimulate your brain in such a way that you would think you are doing everything you enjoy—from reading an interesting book to making a best friend. These clever scientists have designed it in such a way that you can’t distinguish between those pleasurable, happy feelings you have yourself and those that come from the machine, so the result is that you are blissfully unaware that you are actually floating in a tank, shut off from the real world, with electrodes in your brain.