Instigator / Pro

Moozer325

1584

rating

debates

70.69%

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

Better arguments

Better sources

Better legibility

Better conduct

After 3 votes and with 3 points ahead, the winner is...

Moozer325

Tags

Money

happiness

Parameters

Publication date: 09.02.2024 10:44PM
Last updated date: 10.07.2024 09:50PM
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

Math_Enthusiast

1515

rating

debates

50.0%

won

Description

Half troll debate, half serious, so don’t read too much into it.

Round 1

Moozer325

09.04.2024 03:15AM

Pro

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!

Math_Enthusiast

09.04.2024 04:27PM

Con

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.

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 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.

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

Moozer325

09.07.2024 02:56PM

Pro

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.

Math_Enthusiast

09.07.2024 09:50PM

Con

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.

Lemming

10.07.2024 03:05AM

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.

Best.Korea

09.03.2024 12:13AM

Things which make me happy, such as smartphone, were bought with money. I cant be poor buddhist monk.

Trent0405

09.11.2024 04:14PM

Criterion

Pro

Tie

Con

Points

Better arguments

3 point(s)

Better sources

2 point(s)

Better legibility

1 point(s)

Better conduct

1 point(s)

Reason:

This debate really boils down to how literally one wants to interpret the resolution. Pro argues that money can buy happiness both literally (through the purchase of dopamine) and vicariously (through the purchase of goods that bring us happiness). After getting pushback on the dopamine argument, Pro never revisits it, so I will not consider that point when determining my vote. Other than that point, there was a bit of back and forth over Con's coffee maker analogy. While I personally found the analogy dubious, non of Pro's retorts adequately rebutted it. He kept reasserting that things you buy give you happiness vicariously, but that does not address the analogy. Indeed, something can give you happiness like a coffee maker gives coffee, but buying a coffee maker does not suddenly provide the coffee, it is just a vehicle to create it. Pro's inability to address this analogy is why I am siding with Con.

Americandebater24

09.08.2024 06:02PM

Criterion

Pro

Tie

Con

Points

Better arguments

3 point(s)

Better sources

2 point(s)

Better legibility

1 point(s)

Better conduct

1 point(s)

Reason:

The debate was interesting as Pro, and Con made valid points. However, what made me choose Pro's argument is that their stance is that buying things indirectly buy happiness by getting you things that make you happy. While Con does try to say that buying things only facilities happiness, the argument itself is more in favor of Pro's position. Con Should have tried to argue from different angels; like claiming that true happiness is not defined by things you buy. They unfortunately did not in this case and that cost them the vote.

Owen_T

09.08.2024 03:49AM

Criterion

Pro

Tie

Con

Points

Better arguments

3 point(s)

Better sources

2 point(s)

Better legibility

1 point(s)

Better conduct

1 point(s)

Reason:

The point that "you buy things for the purpose of making you happy" is true. Even though it is indirect, it makes you happy; therefore you are buying happiness.