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21) Research on book 'Sophie's World' - 2/11/17

Alice Lock
Nov 4, 2017
4 min read

In order to further influence my practice within this idea of capturing happiness, I decided to read 'Sophie's World' a book based on a young girl going through an adventure in philosophy. The book mentions in places about the philosophy of happiness, and I thought this may inspire my own photography.

Below are some scans of notes I made from the book with quotes, which I will elaborate on individually further on in this blog post.

Chapter 2, p12:

Sophie's letter highlights various psychological questions, and the first quote I picked up from the book which made me think about the subject of happiness was "How ought we to live?". Once we have our basic needs, what do we need to obtain happiness? Applying this idea to my practice, I feel I could take photos of all the basic needs that make me happy, and then go on to explore what else makes me happy.

Chapter 2, p14:

The next relevant quote I picked up was "THE ONLY THING WE REQUIRE TO BE GOOD PHILOSOPHERS IS THE FACULTY OF WONDER". I picked this out because I feel you need this in life to be happy and appreciate the good things around you. When applying this to my own photography I could take photos of all the things that give me a sense of wonder out and about in daily life. I really like this idea, and it relates back to Jason Evans' series 'The Daily Nice'.

Chapter 7, p55:

My next quote was found in chapter 7, in which Socrates stated that "no one could possibly be happy if they acted against their better judgement". Everyone has an innate sense of right and wrong, meaning if you're doing wrong according to Socrates you will not find happiness or live in peace. In my own photography I could depict this by going out and taking photos of my understanding of right and wrong.

Chapter 11, p90:

My next quote is from philosopher Aristotle. He believed that there are three forms of happiness: "The first form of happiness is a life of pleasure and enjoyment. The second form of happiness is a life as a free and responsible citizen. The third form of happiness is a life as a think and philosopher ... all three criteria must be present at the same time for a man to find happiness and fulfilment". Overall, what Aristotle is trying to say is that a life of balance and compromise will be truly fulfilling, combining these three types of happiness. I feel this philosophy I picked out is one of the ones that makes the most sense, and I feel reflects best in this day and age to obtain happiness. I also think it would be easy to depict through photography.

Chapter 12, p102:

A group of philosophers called the Cynics believed true happiness was not down to "external advantages such as material luxury, political power, or good health. True happiness lies in not being dependant on such random and fleeting things". This means a truly happy individual wouldn't worry about earthly possessions or even his health or physical pain, as long as they have mental serenity they are happy. I feel as though this theory is a bit weird, because I'd argue that having good health is a basic need and therefore something that makes you happy, but I do agree you shouldn't just find happiness in material things.

Chapter 12, p103:

The Epicureans were the next group of happiness philosophers I picked out. They believed that "the aim of life was to attain the highest possible sensory enjoyment" and that the highest good equalled pleasure and the greatest evil is pain. This wasn't just in terms of sensual pleasure, but also things such as the contemplation of ideas and building friendships. As much as I'd like to agree that this is the key to happiness, you need the bad times to level out the happy times, meaning you can't be happy all the time through attaining the "highest possible sensory enjoyment".

For instance, in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde, Gray's greatest sin is not surrounding himself with decadent things (in fact these objects foster pleasure and the highest good) but being dependant on these objects to retain his interest in life. We can see how this ends badly in the book, because it subsequently leads Gray to his death.

Chapter 19, p196:

The next quote I picked up on was about an individual called Spinoza who believed "that it was our passions - such as ambition and lust - which prevent us from achieving true happiness and harmony, but that if we recognise that everything happens from necessity ... we can come to realise ... that everything is one". So Spinoza stated that everything that happens has to happen, due to the fact that humans actions are predetermined. He wanted individuals to accept the truth that freedom is an illusion, and this was the only pathway to happiness. I didn't really like this idea, I hate to think that everything is planned and predetermined because I love the idea of spontaneity and things being open. Therefore I don't think I would take photos through this philosophical lens.

Chapter 28, p294:

The final philosopher I found whose work relates to happiness was Kierkegaard, who thought "there were three different forms of life. ... the aesthetic stage, the ethical stage, and the religious stage" and "He who lives at the aesthetic stage lives for the moment and grasps every opportunity of enjoyment". This train of thought seems quite similar to that of the Epicureans, which I think is fun living at the highest possible sensory enjoyment, but its a dangerous slope (for instance like Dorian Gray), so I might steer clear of this in my photography but it may be something interesting to explore.

I'm really pleased I read this book because it has given me an overview of so many different philosophies of happiness which I can use to inform my own work and form my own opinions about. I think it would be interesting to choose a couple of different philosophies and do a whole roll of film in that specific happiness style, and then compare them to other philosophies or my own.