The Summun Bonum, Eudaimonia, and the State of Nature
(Guest Post by Masen Sherrill) I have been lucky enough to be a member of the political science department at Western Carolina University for the last three and a half years. My focus lies in the domain of American politics. It was not until I took Dr. Greear’s Political Theory course that I fully grasped the historical philosophies that shaped the dynamic and evolving Constitution of the United States. The spring semester of my third year marked the completion of both my major, minor, and liberal studies. Yet, still, I did not reach the 120 credit hours necessary to graduate. To meet this requirement, I devised a schedule that incorporated courses I would not have otherwise pursued. One such course was Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, taught by Dr. Phillip Coyle. During the first week of this course, I was introduced to the idea of the “summum bonum.” Dr. Coyle thoughtfully described this as “the good life.” Our textbook in class introduces th...
