I am falling in love with what you are teaching... I think this will be part of my life's purpose.

It's awesome that I get to listen to this stuff for free. I love it! Thank you!

Indeed, the same as what psychologist Oliver Sacks mentioned in his famous book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, regarding the purpose and use of psychology, it is questionable and debatable that psychology should only be used to identify people's weaknesses, deficits and problems. Besides curing diseases and diagnosing psychological diseases, psychology is just as capable of highlighting individual strengths and improving our lives for the better, just as Martin Seligman is doing. This is what we need!

Dr Seligman has not only identified the optimal criteria (Or at least many of them) for a "Happy life"* but is actively working on creating strategies and action plans to bring these elements in a persons life more actively in to play. This Man has enormous clarity of thought and expresses his understanding extremely effectively. * Do not particularly like my choice of word "Happy" - would expand this definition to include fulfilling, evolving, self-actualising.

I like his tie.

I was exposed to " Flourish " through the " Gamification " course I am doing with coursera.org. This is great stuff.

If someone believes that there is no universal, external source of meaning, that does not preclude more personal sources of meaning. I don't need an external structure to tell me that making other people's lives better makes me happy, I can rest in the endorphine rush from making other people smile, or just seeing their tense shoulders relax.

Interesting that you can be completely happy while being immoral or cruel. PERMA is blind to ethics or morality. I don't take issue with that, I actually agree, I just find it interesting. It helps to confirm something I've long suspected: The smarter you are and the more you care about morality or the more you care about finding answers or viewing the world honestly, the more difficult a time you have finding happiness or PERMA fulfillment.

"If we don't measure the right thing we won't do the right thing" I agree, we should measure everything.

Maybe he's not the most polished speaker, AND his work is life changing. Read his latest book, Flourish, and experience what he talks about here. Most people are not flourishing--since we only get one trip on Earth, why not live it to the fullest. That's what his work is about.

@GrandBudZer Thats why he is one of the world's most influential psychologists.

I see the point of realizing that everything is meaningless is that you can create whatever meaning you want.

@zerofence In context of the conversation, it's mere semantics. Use the word "worldview" instead if you dislike the word "religion". Surely you'd agree that if one's worldview is personally inappropriate and stifling, a change of worldview *can* provide hope and meaning. Merely as a lifting of a stifling force that was perchance making someone feel trapped and hopeless.

Where was this at?

You have a choice. You can choose to drink, or you can wait for someone to prove to you that drinking will quench your thirst.

nice room btw

@stalinist666 The Universe can neither be meaningless nor can it have meaning because meaning is a "human construct" that does only apply to us and not the universe. So we humans will always have a meaning in the universe :)

spiritual fitness?

Why is it we have talks like this that talk about how religion in its basic self is in fact good for us (the creation of hope and putting meaning in life to bring happiness) and people seem to ignore it but when we see another one on culture and more based in physical science there is a wave of comments talking about banishing religion. Is it simply a form of people only wanting to hear things they agree with or is there soemthing fundamental that I am missing?

@Dixavd speaking from personal experience, i try to avoid pro-religious talks where the speaker is at risk of being overtly self-serving. I don't for example want to watch a talk given by a nun about how religion is great. I'd only want to hear such controversial things from someone whom i trust, and apparently there isn't many speakers on the topic who meet that criteria. Unless you have some video suggestions?

11:50 he say ___

"Morally insidious"?!!! That's a strong condemnation from a man who initially became famous for torturing dogs with electric shocks!!! He's an embarrassment.

@beerandgolf68 Not like science should be free and available to all or anything.

i want to see this video as an animation, so its too boring to follow

@xjustamem0ryx I think you are pretty defeatist - I believe (and it has been shown time and time agian) that religion gives hopes to others. I am actually an athiest but guess what; atheism is a religion too giving hope to people about there place int he universe. The problem is not with religion, it is with how people use the idea. But oppression happen outside it too (in fact to a much worse degree in politics and so on) so do not blame religion for the fault of the use of it.

@d3ly51d You should ask for your money back.

yup, not a very good speaker. the flow is all over the place

first!

third