Common objections to the claim that there is a link between happiness and morality
The empirical evidence shows that money, not morality, is the key to happiness.
Morality is too often a euphemism for herd conformity, which results in brain-dead Groupthink and self-erasure.
Related to conformity, we see that cultures that are homogeneous enjoy happiness, not because of their morality, but because of their sameness.
McMahon is fond of using the term morality when he should be using the true source of happiness: common sense. "You don't need morals. Common sense tells you to behave in a decent manner toward others whether you're moral or not."
Biology plays a more important role than so-called morality.
See "The Feel-Good Gene" as a possible counterargument to the assertion that there is a connection morality to happiness.
Unhappiness in Moldova
1. Envy: To resent others for having a better situation than yours. The unhappy cannot bear the sight of the happy. I only suffer from half-envy. I wish I could be like some people, but I don't hate them. As you know, a much happier country, Switzerland, is a place that discourages envy.
2. The human condition is one of contrast: Hot means nothing without cold. Mozart is enhanced by Barry Manilow. Eating is better when we're somewhat hungry. "Hunger is the best spice."
Happy places are more interesting because of unhappy ones. The darkest part of the planet is Moldova. It is the least happy nation on the planet.
3. In Moldova, the body language is sour and bitter and this in turn makes people feel sour and bitter.
4. Natasha says “We have no money for life.” That is her reason, but Weiner doesn’t buy it because he’s visited other countries who in poverty don’t hold that attitude.
5. The male citizens are skinny; the male cops are fat and thuggish, a bad sign.
6. They’ve been beaten down into learned helplessness (see other lectures on this topic) The Moldovans say, “This is Moldova.” Or “What can I do?”
7. Moldovans compare themselves to the richer countries, not the poorer ones. So of course the glass is half empty.
8. The service industry is rude and this is a self-fulfilling prophecy of misery because you're turning off tourists, among other people.
9. There is no trust of anything, including their own people, and this results in nihilism, a condition in which one believes there is no meaning to existence and no right or wrong.
10. The people are neither Russian nor Moldovan. They exist in a nether world of no identity or culture. “How can you feel good about yourself if you don’t know who you are?”
11. Their new “freedom” means nothing without jobs. They cannot afford to eat at McDonald’s.
12. Corruption and nepotism are rampant.
13. Men don’t care about their appearance because they’re outnumbered by the woman who wear raccoon makeup.
14. They are consumed by selfishness: “No este problema mea.” They can’t even recognize selfish altruism, which encourages reciprocity.
15. The Moldovans are fueled by schadenfreude; “They derive more pleasure from their neighbor’s failure than their own success.”
16. Scapegoat everything on “Perestroika.” When you scapegoat other source for your problems, your proclaiming your helplessness.
17. Envy accumulates like toxic waste.
18. There is no queuing, a sure sign of nihilism, anomie, and chaos.
19. They trust nothing: doctors under thirty-five, their own friends.
20. The once cheery American Peace Corps workers are becoming gloomy and depressed.
21. No one wants to be in Moldova, including Moldovans.
22. Helping professions score the highest in happiness surveys.
23. The Moldovans have thrown politeness and civility out the window. They say, “Give me that.” No please. In contrast, Japan emphasizes politeness. A common expression: “Gomen nasai.” I’m sorry.
24. Freedom has been reduced to a small number of people who have enough money to consume the growing selection of goods.
25. Moldovans haven’t used the golden rule of positive psychology: hedonic adaptation: No matter how severe our misfortune, we adapt. But this adaptation cannot occur in the absence of culture, living in a shadow of moral rot. They have never learned that social reciprocity results in happiness more than bitter selfishness, a condition they cling to with all their defiant strength. Moldova is a “fabricated nation.” It really does not exist.
26. Weiner concludes with “lessons gleaned from Moldova’s unhappiness”:
27. Lesson One: “Not my problem” is a mental illness, a condition of no empathy.
28. Lesson Two: Poverty is too often used as an excuse for unhappiness. Their reaction to poverty is worse than the poverty.
29. Lesson Three: A culture that belittles the value of trust and friendship and rewards mean-spiritedness and deceit cannot be happy.
Breaking Down Toulmin Argument into Its Parts
Claim: This is your thesis, the argument you're making in your essay
Grounds or Data: This is the evidence, reasoning, logic, examples, and illustrations you use to support your claim.
Warrant: This is the inference we make that connects the claim to the grounds.
Claim: States should increase minimum wage to a living wage of 18 dollars per hour.
Grounds Example: A living wage will give entry-level workers more money to put into the economy and be more invested in their jobs.
Warrant: Increasing the minimum wage is essential for increasing job performance and boosting the economy.
Backing: These are statements that support the warrant.
When my wages went up at Coffee Roasters, I started working harder than before for two reasons: One, I was motivated by my increased income. Two, I noticed higher quality candidates trying to get jobs at my workplace, so I felt I had to prove myself more. I wasn't just some "dummy with a pulse."
Qualifiers: These are statements that limit the claim. Words that are commonly used to qualify a claim are most, few, some, sometimes, occasionally, often, usually.
Here are some terms:
In most cases
In certain conditions
In extreme situations
Claim with a Qualifier
In most cases, a living wage will give entry-level workers more money to put into the economy and be more invested in their jobs.
Counterarguments: They point to exceptions to the claim or they point to outright opposition to the claim. They are met with a rebuttal.
Counterargument Example
The problem with raising the minimum wage is that employers won't be able to afford to hire as many employees and unemployment will skyrocket.
Look for Toulmin components in this argument in support of the minimum wage by Eli Broad.
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