This Week: What Did the Founders Mean by "the Pursuit of Happiness?"
And is prioritizing one's virtue or pleasure the best means to achieve it?
As we approach the nation’s 250th birthday, there’s no better person to spend time with to understand the minds of the Founders than our friend Jeffrey Rosen, acclaimed legal scholar and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center. His knowledge about the formation and interpretation of the key founding documents is profound, and his deep analysis as a published author is prolific.
So, this week, we release a fan favorite that dissects one of the most meaningful phrases in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In Jeffrey’s book, “The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America,” Rosen argues that the Founders, influenced by the Stoics and other philosophers, viewed the word “happiness.” Virtue, not pleasure, is achieved by a lifelong search for meaningful work, self-development, and moral mastery, not instant gratification or things that make us "feel good."
Debating Rosen’s view of happiness is philosopher Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford, Uehiro Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics. He offers nuanced views of the topic but argues that happiness is something slightly different — that it is okay to seek pleasure and embrace happiness where we find it.
It’s an extraordinary and timely philosophical debate by intellectuals who have thought deeply about the topic and a question relevant to all of us as we search for meaning and joy in our busy lives.
Arguing “Virtue”:
Jeffrey Rosen, CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center; Author of “The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America”
Arguing “Pleasure”:
Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford; Uehiro Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St. Anne’s College, Oxford
Guest Moderator:
Nayeema Raza, Journalist and Host of “Smart Girl Dumb Questions”
Join Us For Our Exclusive Substack Conversation: “America 250: Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen”
If you like this episode, join us for a follow-up Substack conversation with Jeffrey Rosen and moderator-in-chief John Donvan, streaming live on Tuesday, June 30 at 4 PM ET, co-hosted with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Rosen will join us to talk about his recent and related work, including the launch of his new podcast with FIRE, titled “The Blessings of Liberty.” He will also discuss some themes from his 2025 book, “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America,” spotlighting how debate — what we do here every week — helped to shape the Constitution.
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I was quite moved by this discussion. I am a physician and agree, mine has been a noble & virtuous pursuit AND “burnout”, “moral injury”, take their toll. Even still, I was saved throughout my career by a discipline of daily meditation & reading, some times one page a day, of so many great works. I often felt happy in my work, and sad, and angry but always the sense that the pursuit was worth it. Thankyou for this amazing series.