The Pursuit of Happiness

An Oregon Humanities Conversation Project Program
​Tuesday, April 14, 2024
6:30 p.m.
Picture
The most famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Why did the founders include “the pursuit of Happiness” in the Declaration? What did they mean by this phrase? What does it mean to us today?
A photograph of Alex Sager wearing a light-colored, collared shirt standing against a plain, light background. The focus is on the upper torso and head area.
Facilitator Alex Sager is a social and political philosopher who teaches at Portland State University. He writes about the political philosophy of human migration, democracy, and leisure. He is the author of Against Borders: Why the People of the World Need Free Movement (Off the Fence Series: Rowman & Littlefield International, 2020). He spends his free time pursuing happiness.
​