Eudaimonia

Short film by Emilia Tikka

2018

Eudaimonia takes place in an imaginary future where the human psyche and character can be modified through a personalized genome-editing device. Inspired by contemporary claims that specific genes—even single alleles—can influence traits such as empathy and impulsivity, the work explores a world in which the "optimization" of personality has become a matter of biomedicine.

Drawing on Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia, in which a good life is achieved through lifelong cultivation of virtue, the project reimagines contemporary virtues—autonomy, creativity, and efficiency—in relation to biomedical enhancement. It asks whether happiness can be achieved through a technological fix or whether it still depends on long-term self-development.

The work consists of a fictional genome-editing device presented as a desirable consumer product and a short film following three individuals who turn to gene editing in their search for happiness. Eudaimonia reflects on the darker side of biotechnologizing the human psyche and the enduring desire for a "better life."