KİŞİLERİN YAŞAMI ANLAMLANDIRMA BİÇİMLERİ VE MUTLULUĞA BAKIŞ AÇILARI ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİ.

The aim of this study is to understand and evaluate the relations between individuals' meaning ascription to life and their understanding of happiness as stated in the philosophical literature using qualitative research. In the literature, there are two different types of meaning ascriptions and two understandings of happiness. The first understanding is to see it in relation to pleasure as Hobbes does. The second understanding is to see it in relation to virtue. Of those two different meaning ascriptions, one evaluates things in relation to personal utility, the other evaluates things grasping their own value. In this study, it is analyzed how different meaning ascriptions to life and their relation to different understandings of happiness are observed in the participants who are academicians in humanities and social sciences. The participants are academicians who studied in the area of humanities and social sciences because due to their study area, they are more inclined to think on the concepts of happiness and meaning. For the aim of the study, using semistructured interview method, questions concerning meaning, happiness, purpose and value are asked to 22 participants and their understanding of those concepts are analyzed. From the findings of this study, it is concluded that participants who value things considering their own utility see happiness as the existence of pleasure, and the participants who value things considering their own value independently of their utility see happiness as a kind of wellbeing which comes as a result of exercising ethical virtues. Thus, the relations between individuals' different types of meaning ascription to life and their understanding of happiness as it is stated theoretically in the philosophical literature are exhibited in the academicians' way of thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]