Talk:Happiness/Happiness research/Happiness, The Universal Law of

Positive Psychology takes a scientific approach to the explanation and pursuit of happiness. It draws on scientific studies of human behavior and experience. It also draws on experiments involving brain chemistry.

The Universal Law of Happiness starts with the laws of physics. It seeks to explain happiness (in my own words) by living in harmony with the Theory of Everything.

Philosophers have discussed happiness for centuries. Ideas such as an objective reality, and the efficacy of reason to understand its nature, were prerequisites to the development of the scientific disciplines.

This is not to say that things in ancient times didn't follow scientific law. It was just as it is today. The state of science, at any given time, only explains a limited amount of phenomena.

So where then do we look to understand happiness, and how to achieve it? In my opinion, it starts with philosophy. The belief of science as a means to true knowledge rests on philosophy.

After that, it's a matter of what science is able to explain. Test results are not always conclusive, and must be interpreted. Interpretation is effected by the scientists philosophy. There can be conflicts between scientific results and philosophical premises. Assuming the law of non-contradiction, the conflicts must be reconciled.

In the absence of a scientific explanation, thinkers form hypothesis on the nature of happiness, based on their philosophy.

To understand how to achieve a satisfactory life, I propose looking to a philosophy upon which science rests, and then incorporating the best science has to offer into our theories. Last but not least, we can look to our own experiences, and the experiences of others, to understand what works and what does not. --Dialed-in-life (discuss • contribs) 16:51, 5 April 2016 (UTC)