The Case for happiness being man's chief goal: Pro: Nobody wants to be miserable forever. Con: There are certain stories where the hero is happier even with (because of?) great pain and anguish. E.g. The Thing's ( Fantastic Four featuring Reed Richards) perpetual existence as an anthropomorphic rock creature even though, in some sense, he would rather be a human again. These seem analogous to the human story of the unhappy marriage, which is the oldest example of "tied hands" ever written. The Case for quietude being man's chief goal: Pro: It is simpler than the con brought up above. It captures the familiar notion that nobody, really, desires tied hands (like The Thing). Con: It's disrespected. Religions that teach quietism are considered cheeky, and in the Catholic Church, it is even heresy to state that quietude is the preferred end of man. It's a type of doubt. It seems that The Thing, emotionally speaking, is the story of the unhappy marriage. He ...