Critique on Happiness and Analysis Essay

In Karl Gibersons article The Ends of Happiness (2006), from the acquirement & Spirit magazine, he raises the topic of cheer, where he claims that nation be instantaneously pursuing the means to happiness as an end to itself and have helpless the point of life. Although Giberson(2006) has made some valid arguments in claiming that people engage wealth as a means to happiness, his arguments be largely undermined delinquent to a lack of authoritative evidences.Gibersons (2006) claims are not unfounded, as human beings tend to set their goals on material success. For them, monetary success is their definition of happiness. This idea is illustrated by the statement The means have plow an end for some of us(para. 11). He goes on to say that many others cant seek happiness directly (para. 7). His thoughts align intimately with societys widely accepted view that without family and friends it is hard to make up ones mind happiness, for these are essential partners in living an d doing hale(para. 9). As such, Giberson (2006) implies that happiness comes from the various experiences and journeys which we go through in life, such as case time spent with people around us.However, Giberson (2006) makes an unsuccessful attempt in persuading his readers to adopt his beliefs by merely referencing to Aristotles philosophy of living well and doing well (para. 8). Throughout the article, Giberson (2006) constantly refers to his own opinions and experiences. For example, he reminisces that in reflecting on the accumulated memories of happy times he finds himself agreeing with Aristotle (para. 12). Thereafter, he mentions that he coached his childrens sports teams and lov(ed) it (para. 13).This demonstrates that his views are greatly influenced by emotions rather than facts. Although the use of anecdotes sparks interest and engages his readers effectively, his excessive engagement of this communication technique makes his arguments seem unsupported and weak. As a top of his heavy reliance on his own opinions, it has led to a precipitant generalisation in his argument as seen through his claim that the States is not a nation pursuing happiness (para. 11). Due to a lack of expert opinion and statistical data, his claim remains flimsy and has little credibility. Hence, Gibersons(2006) article lacks concrete support and fails to make a have argument.Although Giberson (2006) provides a good point of view on how people are becoming too focused on wealth in the quest of happiness, he makes sweeping statements that lacks credibility. He can provide a to a greater extent concrete argument by using a wider range of reliable sources. This will greatly strengthen Gibersons (2006) argument and lend credibility to his claim. It would help greatly if he had supporting opinions of other academic writers who hold fast his train of thought. In essence, his article did indeed establish his thesis that people are pursuing the means to happiness as an e nd to itself, only when had unfortunately failed to compellingly persuade his audience.ReferenceGiberson, K. (2006, March/April). The Ends of Happiness. Retrieved on 21 Jan 2013 from http//ehis.ebscohost.com/explosive detection system/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4e0e6d4c-0091-45b9-be30-fd892a301bf9%40sessionmgr10&vid=3&hid=2