【On Happiness: Interdisciplinary Forum at NTU College of Liberal Arts】 ── Reflections on the Opening Symposium

   Professor Lin Mingzhao of the Department of Philosophy, clarifies the concept of “happiness" in Zhuangzi. The worldly pursuit of happiness revolves around material and sensory pleasures, which, paradoxically, lead to relative, indulgent, fluctuating, and contingent suffering. The above mentioned "joy" is, in reality, "born with sorrow.”

    Therefore, Zhuangzi’s concept of "ultimate joy" is “joy without joy,” suggesting that ultimate joy is found in accepting the ever-changing nature of life, even in the face of death. Also, only a society with diversity and inclusivity can true happiness flourish.

    Professor Tsai Mingchang from Academia Sinica explores “happiness” from a sociological approach: Can happiness be digitalize and measured statistically? How can sociology prove the reasons and meanings of happiness? His own research focuses on Taiwan, and according to his statistics, the level of happiness among Taiwanese people does not have an absolute correlation with education level, but does have a certain association with income and life satisfaction.

    A more intriguing question for sociologists is whether the "impact" or "benefit" of happiness on society can be measured. According to research, individuals who perceive themselves as happy tend to be more involved in work, sports, clubs, charity, art, and even have higher voting rates compared to those who are not happy. In other words, happier individuals exhibit higher levels of participation in public affairs.

   CHO Chen Jiejin from the Happiness Impact Institute's, proposes a three-tiered model of "happiness": 1.0 Taking care of oneself. 2.0 Caring about others. 3.0 Enabling each other to be more independent and free, to promote happiness and changing society.

    Her entrepreneurial experience was replicating a model to achieve a utopian world in the realm of online advertising. The goal is for "Happiness Power" to become a new national strength for Taiwan.

    Professor Lu Huiwen from the Department of Art History shares insights on the unique role of university art museums. With artworks and people as its core, university museums foster research, experimentation, education, and collaboration, serving as platforms for interdisciplinary exchange. In addition to “critical thinking”, they also cultivate “critical looking.”   

    Drawing from her own experiences at Princeton University, where the oracle bones from the Shang Dynasty were not separated by thick glass but handled by students, allowing them to feel the weight and warmth firsthand, she describes how university museums act as magical houses or time machines. Every campus needs such a place: a healing escape from the present.

    Art is more than decoration and leisure, instead it can emit significant power and voice. Confronted with contemporary issues in Taiwan, art should play an active role.