Final answer:
True human happiness is thought to be attained when individuals can fully develop their potential, an idea rooted in the concept of perfectionism. Ethical principles such as Kant's view of treating humans as ends in themselves and considerations of sustainability contribute to understanding the complexities of achieving human flourishing. However, the challenge remains in measuring happiness and its variables to assess what genuinely contributes to human well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
Human happiness is often linked to the concept of human potential, which suggests that true contentment is reached when individuals can develop fully. This view aligns with ethical frameworks such as perfectionism, which hold that the highest good for an individual is reached through self-improvement and the actualization of one's abilities. Historical figures such as Thomas Aquinas and Baruch Spinoza have contributed to this concept with their philosophies focusing on perfecting one's self to achieve well-being.
Kant's Kingdom of Ends also intersects with this theme, emphasizing that people must be treated as goals in themselves and not merely a means to achieve an end. Similarly, the realistic balance of development and sustainability stresses that progress, whether through technological advances or conservation efforts, must be evaluated in terms of long-term impact on human happiness and the planet's health.
However, the measurement of happiness, a central challenge to utilitarianism, complicates the picture. What may seem to benefit human flourishing in the short term, like extending human lifespans, may have repercussions that necessitate a sustainable framework. Furthermore, John Stuart Mill's statement that being a 'human dissatisfied' is better than a 'pig satisfied' accentuates the complexity and multi-dimensional nature of human satisfaction compared to simpler forms of contentment.