Instigator / Pro
18
1577
rating
20
debates
72.5%
won
Topic
#5704
Money can buy happiness
Status
Finished
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
Winner & statistics
After 3 votes and with 3 points ahead, the winner is...
Moozer325
Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 2
- Time for argument
- Three days
- Max argument characters
- 10,000
- Voting period
- One month
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Con
15
1515
rating
10
debates
50.0%
won
Description
Half troll debate, half serious, so don’t read too much into it.
Round 1
I’m already starting to regret not putting a definition for “happiness” but I guess this is a standard debate.
I have two main argument for this, I’ll try to keep them relatively short and sweet.
Money can buy things that make you happy
The title say it all for this one.
Money can buy you video games, tickets to Disney land, and Puppies. Simple as that right?
Well you might say that the Money didn’t actually buy the happiness, the puppy got you the happiness.
Well even though you didn’t actually buy the concept of happiness, as a direct consequence of your purchase, you became happy. Your act of buying something directly contributed to you being happy, thus your money bought you that happiness that you wouldn’t have had anyways.
The happiness you got was a quality of the thing you bought. By buying it you also bought the happiness that came with it.
If that still doesn’t convince you, that brings us to my next point.
Money can buy dopamine
If you don’t know what dopamine is, this:www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-dopamine will explain it much better than I can.
I will summarize though. Dopamine (along with serotonin) is a chemical that your brain releases to make you feel positive feelings.
This chemical is happiness, and is physical, so thus can (and has), been bought.
Thank you Con for hearing me out on another one of my stupid debate Ideas. I’m eager to hear what you have to say in response!
Money can buy things that make you happyThe title say it all for this one.Money can buy you video games, tickets to Disney land, and Puppies. Simple as that right?Well you might say that the Money didn’t actually buy the happiness, the puppy got you the happiness.Well even though you didn’t actually buy the concept of happiness, as a direct consequence of your purchase, you became happy. Your act of buying something directly contributed to you being happy, thus your money bought you that happiness that you wouldn’t have had anyways.The happiness you got was a quality of the thing you bought. By buying it you also bought the happiness that came with it.
This one is pretty simple: If you buy a coffee maker that does not mean that you bought coffee. Similarly, these things are "happiness makers", but they are not themselves happiness.
Money can buy dopamineIf you don’t know what dopamine is, this:www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-dopamine will explain it much better than I can.I will summarize though. Dopamine (along with serotonin) is a chemical that your brain releases to make you feel positive feelings.This chemical is happiness, and is physical, so thus can (and has), been bought.
This is also pretty simple to debunk: Dopamine supplements don't actually contain dopamine. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/mind/articles/dopamine-supplements-to-boost-mood#:~:text=%22It's%20a%20neurotransmitter%2C%20and%20that,Berberine Even if Pro can point out a way to actually buy the neurotransmitters dopamine or serotonin, these chemicals only cause happiness when used by the brain. They are not in and of themselves happiness.
Round 2
Sorry I took so long to publish this round. Honestly, I kinda forgot this debate existed until I got the time running out notification.
This one is pretty simple: If you buy a coffee maker that does not mean that you bought coffee. Similarly, these things are "happiness makers", but they are not themselves happiness.
I think there is a difference though. Ask yourself, why would you buy tickets to Disneyland, or a video game, or a kitten? It's not so that you can fly on a plane for hours, or so you can have to clean up cat poop, it's because of the happiness those things are giving you. You don't enjoy a cat for the sake of purely the Cat, you enjoy the feelings it gives you. In that case, by buying a cat, you are buying the happiness associated with it, and the actual cat. If not for the happiness, you wouldn't have bought the cat, but most importantly, you wouldn't have felt the happiness if not for buying the cat.
No one would buy anything if it was just for the sake of the thing, they buy it for that things use. Somethings can be used for happiness, so money can buy happiness.
This one is pretty simple: If you buy a coffee maker that does not mean that you bought coffee. Similarly, these things are "happiness makers", but they are not themselves happiness.I think there is a difference though. Ask yourself, why would you buy tickets to Disneyland, or a video game, or a kitten? It's not so that you can fly on a plane for hours, or so you can have to clean up cat poop, it's because of the happiness those things are giving you. You don't enjoy a cat for the sake of purely the Cat, you enjoy the feelings it gives you. In that case, by buying a cat, you are buying the happiness associated with it, and the actual cat. If not for the happiness, you wouldn't have bought the cat, but most importantly, you wouldn't have felt the happiness if not for buying the cat.No one would buy anything if it was just for the sake of the thing, they buy it for that things use. Somethings can be used for happiness, so money can buy happiness.
This is a similarity, not a difference. You only buy a coffee maker to make coffee. That is its sole purpose. We still don't say that buying a coffee maker constitutes buying coffee.
Conclusion:
Pro did not make any other points, and did not respond to my point regarding dopamine supplements. Their only counter argument actually ended up supporting my argument. Vote Con.
I suppose money can buy items and situations that tend to make one happier,
Fulfilling basic needs like food, shelter, safety.
Though if one trades pride or family for money to buy those above, still might not make one happy.
If one lacks the intelligence to know what 'to buy, money again might not buy happiness.
There 'are unhappy rich people,
Money can alienate one from friends, family, and ordinary people,
Warp one's values that they cannot relate to ordinary people or their motivations,
Allows power, which sounds good, but you can buy drugs with that, which also seem good, until you've done them too much and go crazy.
Or weird surgeries that your yes men tell you is a good idea, but is not.
Course debate is money 'can buy happiness, and I suppose it 'can, in the sense of items and situations,
Claiming it can't if one doesn't know what to spend it on, is like saying money can't buy food if one lacks the intelligence to identify an apple in a store,
Course being able to identify what will bring one happiness, or being able to 'follow that knowledge, may not be easy for everyone.
Poor people can still be happy, or happier with what they have family, work, honest effort and living, than a great deal of money or gold toilets.
Things which make me happy, such as smartphone, were bought with money. I cant be poor buddhist monk.