This document discusses the relationship between economic growth, happiness, and technology. It notes that while income and happiness are often correlated, some research suggests that as societies grow richer, happiness has not increased proportionally. Additionally, philosopher Ernst Bloch argued that technology could excessively distort means of achieving happiness and deskill/alienate people. The document advocates considering happiness and well-being alongside human values like hope, creativity, and inspiration. It promotes a new educational approach focused on community challenges and creative possibilities.

1. DD101 – TMA05
(2013)
TMA Question:
Dr Craig A. Hammond (DD101 Preston Cluster)

2. Well Being & Economic Growth
2
• “a person with a higher income is more likely
to report a higher level of happiness or other
measure of life satisfaction” (Hammond, P. J; Liberini, F;
Proto, E., 2011)

3. Well Being & Economic Growth
3
• However - Richard Layard claims that, as economies
and societies become richer, they don’t seem to
become happier. He suggests that, on average, people
have grown no happier in the last fifty years, even
though average incomes have more than doubled.
(Exploring Social Lives, Chapter 1, pp. 45-46)

4. • Ernst Bloch: happiness & ‘technology’ -
incompatible?
• Technology for Bloch is something used to deskill
and alienate people …
• “technology excessively distorts the means of
making people happy” (Principle of Hope, Vol. 1, p, 434)
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5. 5

6. Doing the same thing over and over…
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7. Hope – creativity – autonomy –
influence – participation -democracy?
• The notion of happiness
(well-being) – must be
considered alongside the
Human spirit: Hope …
• Creativity; and
• Inspiration
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8. ‘Community Challenge’
A new approach to education
A HEA Funded
Teaching Development Grant
2011-2013
8

9. A Proliferation of
Creative Possibilities…
• Anarchogogy
• And … Chutney …
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10. Chutney for Change
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11. Utopian Visions & Everyday Culture
11

12. Creative Commons Licences
• Feeling Empty (MSVG)
http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=7715057&searchId=5b20dd2a8
5b31d9df9345488f4b7c8b5&npos=28
• Cogs (ralphbijker) http://s3.amazonaws.com/estock/fspid9/23/30/09/8/action-activate-active-
2330098-o.jpg
• Heart Tracer (Victory of the People)
http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=518497&searchId=3189934774
aa880fa7fbf8da8f9e446d&npos=16
• Cow Pattern (Anniekate)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniekate/644895289/
• Odilon Redon (Cactus Man)
http://www.odilon-redon.org/Cactus-Man.html
• Odilon Redon (The Eye…)
http://www.odilon-redon.org/The-Eye-Like-A-Strange-Balloon-Mounts-Toward-
Infinity.html
• Mandelbrot Fractal Beetle (Flickrnospam)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10912969@N03/2046593119/