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Sebastian Teran
Many individuals equate happiness with seeking personal satisfaction, accomplishment, and public attention. However, dystopian literature challenges this popular sentiment by creating oppressive societies in which the search for happiness is always prevented, controlled, or constantly redefined.
Connor Pellicciotti
To be bored is not merely to be unoccupied; it is to experience the friction of a human consciousness designed for purpose when it is suddenly untethered from meaningful action.
Elizabeth Rengifo-Vega
We are a legacy-driven species. We, perhaps with another level of intensity and for distinct reasons than the other beings on this planet, long for something to outlast us.
Matthew Ewy
Happiness, properly understood through a Stoic lens, is not about feeling good––such as the Epicurean may believe––or lucky circumstances but about virtue as a mode of being, and this redefinition is more philosophically defensible than the common understanding.
Victoria
Happiness is found when you find a purpose, fulfill it, and are satisfied with it. However, I believe that another prerequisite to having long term happiness is having your basic needs fulfilled.
Jake Hoina
The highest good in life is the combination of virtuous moral character and self-fulfillment. Virtue is the key to unlocking the door of happiness. This leads to human flourishing as a goal, but one must accept reality in turn...
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The Marshall Institute for Ethical Thought & Action is inviting Undergraduate-Students to submit a paper on the topic, Telos & Happiness. Paper submissions will be competitive—papers submitted will be reviewed, then selected to present. At the Conference (04/11), students' whose papers are selected will present on the theme of Telos & Happiness.
Paper Submission Deadline for Review is March 21, 2026.
Invited guests and the audience are welcomed to ask questions and engage with the presenters. This event is a great opportunity for UG-Students to develop their Academic Writing and Public Speaking skills.
Students should try and answer a question they have on the topic within 5-7 pages. Some examples of questions may look like:
1. What is happiness?
2. Is virtue necessary for happiness?
3. Is an ethical life necessary to be happy?
4. What is the purpose of the human person?
5. Can a man be happy in this life?
Note: these are only suggested questions; the question the student chooses to answer is up to them, as long as it fits with the theme.
Submit all papers to nicholasb@ethics-institute.org
Please reach us at stephanieh@ethics-insitute.org if you have any questions

The Internship Program offered by the Institute awards college credit towards the student's major. Our Interns train all year to be qualified, and confident volunteer Judges for the Annual High School Ethics Bowl!
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