This was a really interesting piece. I agree that increasing total happiness cannot be the only social goal.

Firstly, as you indicate, the choice of happiness over other goals is simply arbitrary.

Secondly, it is almost impossible to raise average social happiness over time. Critics of free markets like to point out that economic growth over the past 30 years has done nothing to raise happiness. That is a fair point. However, this cuts both ways as it also means that progressive social policies over the same period including reductions in sexual role division, easy divorce, reduced racial discrimination etc have not raised happiness either!

Maybe the only way to raise overall happiness would be to put the entire country on Prozac. But if we did this and it worked would that be a triumph? Obviously, most people believe that other goals including human achievement are also important. They are also more achievable.

so many words, so few ideas. i hope he wrote this in his "philosophy 101" class, depressing if it's the summary of his doctoral thesis.

Please check out these references which points out the ecstatic Happiness is the PRIMARY urge of ALL beings.
And that everything that we do is an attempt to find Happiness.

1. http://www.dabase.org/dualsens.htm

2. http://www.fearnomorezoo.org/literature/contemplative_state.php

Plus this reference as to the process the author went through in deciding to take the RED pill, and to follow the process wherever it may have lead him. And why/how we should all take the RED pill too.

1. http://www.aboutadidam.org/readings/bridge_to_god/index.html

This reference describes in detail the process that the author went through from the moment of his birth until He regained His enlightened state---plus much more.

1. http://www.kneeoflistening.com

Altogether then the author has gone through the process that NEO participated in in the Matrix story. Except that the author has gone through the process in VERY REAL human terms----not just as a story-telling metaphor.