America’s Happiness Problem | ft. Jeffrey Rosen & Roger Crisp

What does the "pursuit of happiness" really mean? In this Open to Debate clip, Jeffrey Rosen and Oxford philosopher Roger Crisp debate whether happiness comes from virtue and self-mastery or from pleasure, enjoyment, and wellbeing.

Rosen argues that the Founders, drawing from classical moral philosophy, understood happiness as being good rather than merely feeling good. For him, happiness means self-mastery: governing anger, jealousy, fear, and impulse so we can become better people and better citizens.

Crisp argues that pleasure should not be dismissed as shallow gratification. He makes the case that enjoyment, friendship, accomplishment, knowledge, and wellbeing are central to a good life. His challenge: are we really prepared to deny that pleasure is good and suffering is bad?

This debate moves from the Declaration of Independence and ancient philosophy to modern wellbeing culture, loneliness, burnout, democracy, inequality, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and whether happiness is even the right goal.

Arguing Self-Mastery: Jeffrey Rosen, CEO & President of the National Constitution Center and author of The Pursuit of Happiness, argues that happiness is rooted in virtue, character, and the ability to govern our impulses.

Arguing Wellbeing: Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford and Uehiro Fellow at St. Anne’s College, argues that pleasure, enjoyment, and wellbeing are central to a good life, and that suffering cannot be dismissed as irrelevant.

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Jeffrey Rosen

Roger Crisp

Nayeema Raza

Helen Russell

Nancy Sherman

Monica Parker

Emily A. Austin

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