A Faustian Bargain Analysis

Living a life of happiness is what most people value. In Daedalus, a journal that consists of articles about happiness and its true meaning, has an article named “A Faustian Bargain” by Bernard Reginster that explain the meaning of happiness from philosophers Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. “Can Happiness Be Taught?”, another article in the journal by Martin E. P. Seligman focuses on the three different lives that contribute to happiness. With the help from my interview with Gale Colby, I gained a better understanding of what these two articles indicate.

Philosophers Schopenhauer and Nietzsche have different views of what happiness is. Schopenhauer believes that happiness is from meeting a need or reaching a goal of desires.

I began the interview with what brings her the most pain. She repeatedly mention her mother and how she doesn’t get along with her. This affects Gale’s happiness during her childhood and adulthood. She states “My mother is a negative person. When I did something good, she would always find an excuse to put me down. For example, I would wash all the dishes and do my chores but, still she found a reason to make me feel bad” (Colby). I know that family is an essential part of Gale’s life, I didn’t know that she felt this way about her mother. Next, we moved on to what makes her happy and if she is content with her life. She said “I am content with my life. I feel peaceful inside. Some of the things that make me happy is a stranger holding a door for me, just even a smile and raising my children” (Colby). This part of the interview related to Nietzsche's idea that one must suffer to find happiness. Gale suffers from the pain she receives from her mother and pleasure from raising her children. The pain and pleasure that she experiences from both her mother and children brings her happiness because she said that it teaches her to become a better parent. Since goals are part of majority of the articles, I decided to ask her what she thought of them and if they are needed. Gale’s reply was, “Yes, I do think that goals are needed. Goals keep you focused. If someone doesn’t have goals, then they would get nothing done. They would live a boring life, have nothing to do. People without goals aren’t happy” (Colby). My last question for Gale was what was the most meaningful thing she’s done in her life. This question is supposed to determine what kind of life she is leading. She said, “I think the most meaningful thing in my life is helping with cancer walks. I’ve had family members who died from it. I’m on a team, someone walks for