The roundtable explores happiness across philosophical and psychological dimensions. It examines whether contentment solely defines a flourishing life, whether pleasure's value lies in the experience itself or in one's perception of it, and how individual happiness relates to others' welfare. Key questions address whether certain pleasures hold greater worth and if happiness is essential for living well. The discussion considers positive psychology's role in defining and measuring happiness, and its impact on socioeconomic theories and policies.
Speakers
Alberto Bisin
Professor of Economics, New York University
Elected Fellow of the Econometric Society; fellow of NBER, Center for Experimental Social Sciences at NYU, IGIER at Bocconi, CIREQ at University of Montreal, IZA at University of Bonn.
Shimon Edelman
Professor of Psychology, Cornell University
Holds degrees in electrical engineering and computer science; teaches behavioral, neural, evolutionary, and computational aspects of mind and behavior.
Benjamin Radcliff
Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame
Research focuses on how human happiness is politically produced and distributed; published in American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics.
Wendy Suzuki
Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University
Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC San Diego; completed postdoctoral fellowship at National Institutes of Health; faculty at NYU's Center for Neural Science.
Christine Vitrano
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, CUNY
Author of "The Nature and Value of Happiness"; co-author with Steven M. Cahn of "Happiness and Goodness: Philosophical Reflections on Living Well."
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