English Professor Mary Esteve lectured students and faculty members about the polemics within the science of happiness Thursday afternoon at the McCrum Auditorium. The lecture was the third of four lectures in The Happiness Symposium.

Esteve’s lecture, “The Politics and Polemics of Happiness: Back to the Postwar Future,” gave an insight into social and political theorists of the postwar era who criticized the cult of happiness.

A small audience of 30 laughed as Esteve mentioned a quote from Richard Powers’ book, Generosity: An Enhancement.

“The sooner her happiness gene can be isolated and marketed by biological entrepreneurs, the better,” said Esteve.

She was referring to Thassadit Amzwar, a character who suffers from hyperthymia in Powers’ book. Her mental condition makes her happy all the time, even after being sexually assaulted.

Esteve denoted how Powers looked down on happiness with this narrative. It illustrated America’s obsession with happiness. This struck a chord with some audience members.

Philosophy professor Justin Fisher thinks back to the novel’s character and questions how much we should make happiness an ultimate goal. He thinks it’s more important to have a good life that might make you happy.

“People who are happy despite being in circumstances that people wouldn’t be happy in,” said Fisher. “Is that the sort of happiness that we wish we all could have?”

He and others are looking forward to the symposium’s last lecture. This fourth presentation on happiness will be about happiness in the psychology and neuroscience fields.