对于“turned down",是不是这样翻译最符合原文？

“The pursuit of Happiness” was thought to be an unalienable right by the writers of the US Declaration of Independence. However, in 1776, the definition of happiness evoked a different meaning than it does today. When the framers of this historic document wrote about “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” what exactly did they mean by “happiness”?

The term happiness comes from the Old Norse term happ meaning “luck” or “chance.” It’s also related to the Old English word hæpic meaning “equal.” While early senses of happiness dating from the 1500s are still very much in use, such as “good luck,” “success,” and “contentment,” Francis Hutcheson, an Irish reverend and philosopher pictured here, brought a new, more political interpretation of happiness to English speakers with his 1725 treatise An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue. His political philosophy: “that Action is best which accomplishes the greatest Happiness for the greatest Numbers; and that worst, which in like manner occasions Misery.” The popularity of Hutcheson’s philosophies helped tie the concepts of civic responsibility and happiness to one another in the minds of the great political thinkers of the 18th century, including the writers of the Declaration of Independence.

US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy explained this often forgotten sense of happiness in his 2005 lecture at the National Conference on Citizenship. Kennedy notes that while in modern times there is a “hedonistic component” to the definition of happiness, for the framers of the Declaration of Independence “happiness meant that feeling of self-worth and dignity you acquire by contributing to your community and to its civic life.” In the context of the Declaration of Independence, happiness was about an individual’s contribution to society rather than pursuits of self-gratification. While this sense has largely fallen out of use today, it’s important to keep these connotations of happiness mind when studying political documents from the 18th century.

wherestip wrote:

http://hotword.dictionary.com/happiness/

那么，幸福的状况到底是个什么样子？《说文解字》中对幸福的“幸”是这么解释的：“幸，吉而免凶。”即免于凶患，大吉大利，无病无灾是谓幸。“福”字，左边的偏旁原是指古时祭祀用的祭台（象形），右为祭祀酒食。在甲骨文中，“福”是两手捧酒浇于祭台之上的会意字，是古代祭祀的形象写照。《说文解字》对“福”的解释基本采用的是《左传》上的说法：“福，佑也。”意为祈祷风调雨顺，五谷丰登，生命安康。后来的人又将其义引申，认为有衣避寒（左为衣字旁），有屋栖身（右上之“一”表房屋的横梁），人丁兴旺（右中之“口”），有食饱腹（右下之“田”表有田可耕，有收获），是谓福。
总起来说，幸福的状况，原是指一个人无病无灾，衣可避寒，食可饱腹，居有定所，生活安顿之情状。

幸福与幸福感，前者是一种客观实在的状况，后者是对这种状况的感受。如果将幸福的状况描述为吃饱穿暖，无病无灾，居有定所，生活安顿之情状，那么幸福的感觉就是那种无忧无虑、快乐、祥和、温暖、甜蜜的感觉。

幸福与幸福感，并不是一码事，一是存在，一是感受。因此，如果一个人对你说，他不幸福，其实他往往是在说，他没有感到幸福，或是没有幸福感。

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happiness

hap·pi·ness noun \ˈha-pē-nəs\
: the state of being happy

: an experience that makes you happy

Full Definition of HAPPINESS

1
obsolete : good fortune : prosperity

2
a : a state of well-being and contentment : joy
b : a pleasurable or satisfying experience

3
: felicity, aptness

See happiness defined for English-language learners »

happiness
One entry found.

hap·pi·ness /ˈhæpinəs/ noun
plural hap·pi·ness·es

1 (noncount) : the state of being happy : joy
▪ They made a toast to long life and happiness. ▪ They found happiness together.

2 (count) somewhat formal : an experience that makes you happy
▪ I wish the them every happiness. (=I hope that they will be very happy)

wherestip wrote:

I don't want to keep dragging this discussion out forever, but between "幸福“ and "快乐", I still think the latter is more fitting for the "happiness" in the "Come on, get happy" segment of text.

wherestip wrote:

http://hotword.dictionary.com/happiness/

那么，幸福的状况到底是个什么样子？《说文解字》中对幸福的“幸”是这么解释的：“幸，吉而免凶。”即免于凶患，大吉大利，无病无灾是谓幸。“福”字，左边的偏旁原是指古时祭祀用的祭台（象形），右为祭祀酒食。在甲骨文中，“福”是两手捧酒浇于祭台之上的会意字，是古代祭祀的形象写照。《说文解字》对“福”的解释基本采用的是《左传》上的说法：“福，佑也。”意为祈祷风调雨顺，五谷丰登，生命安康。后来的人又将其义引申，认为有衣避寒（左为衣字旁），有屋栖身（右上之“一”表房屋的横梁），人丁兴旺（右中之“口”），有食饱腹（右下之“田”表有田可耕，有收获），是谓福。
总起来说，幸福的状况，原是指一个人无病无灾，衣可避寒，食可饱腹，居有定所，生活安顿之情状。

幸福与幸福感，前者是一种客观实在的状况，后者是对这种状况的感受。如果将幸福的状况描述为吃饱穿暖，无病无灾，居有定所，生活安顿之情状，那么幸福的感觉就是那种无忧无虑、快乐、祥和、温暖、甜蜜的感觉。

幸福与幸福感，并不是一码事，一是存在，一是感受。因此，如果一个人对你说，他不幸福，其实他往往是在说，他没有感到幸福，或是没有幸福感。

J.H. Wang wrote:



在这篇文章中，还是"快乐"更准确些。"幸福“ 的内涵比"快乐"更丰富、厚重。

“The pursuit of Happiness” was thought to be an unalienable right by the writers of the US Declaration of Independence. However, in 1776, the definition of happiness evoked a different meaning than it does today. When the framers of this historic document wrote about “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” what exactly did they mean by “happiness”?

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US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy explained this often forgotten sense of happiness in his 2005 lecture at the National Conference on Citizenship. Kennedy notes that while in modern times there is a “hedonistic component” to the definition of happiness, for the framers of the Declaration of Independence “happiness meant that feeling of self-worth and dignity you acquire by contributing to your community and to its civic life.” In the context of the Declaration of Independence, happiness was about an individual’s contribution to society rather than pursuits of self-gratification. While this sense has largely fallen out of use today, it’s important to keep these connotations of happiness mind when studying political documents from the 18th century.