Raymond Belliotti, chairperson of the SUNY Fredonia Department of Philosophy, will be the first speaker in the monthly Brown Bag Lecture Series which features talks on new research in the arts and humanities by the SUNY Fredonia faculty.
Speaking on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at noon in the Williams Center Room G-144, Dr. Belliotti will present, “Why Happiness is Overrated,” a discussion of values versus feelings that is based on his 192-page book published by Rowman & Littlefield. Read more about the book, Happiness is Overrated.
A vibrant and sought-after speaker (whose speaking engagements include invited talks aboard the cruise ship, QE2), Professor Bellioti questions whether happiness should be sought as a life goal, especially if it involves sacrificing values. Tracing definitions of happiness throughout western thought, he argues that people can lead valuable, significant, important lives even if unhappy.
Dr. Belliotti is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of philosophy. He is also the author of five other books: Justifying Law (1992), Good Sex (1993), Seeking Identity (1995), Stalking Nietzsche (1998), and What is the Meaning of Human Life? (2001).
Brown Bag Lectures are free and open to all members of the campus and community. Each 30-minute talk is followed by a brief discussion. Professor David Kinkela of the history department is an organizer of the event and can be contacted for more information by email or telephone at 716-673-3876.
