The definition of happiness is first finding the common definition, which is a perfect common good (Penguin Classics, 1998). Happiness is the main goal in life and if achieved lives will be complete and be lacking in nothing, obtaining it would be absolute perfection (Shields, 2007).
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist who understood happiness as a common goal shared among all humans, happiness was the achievement of human flourishing something he called ‘eudaimonia’ (Sober, 2009). Eudaimonia translates as the perfect happiness, human excellence and fulfillment, a universal interest to everyone, and a quality of goodness that enables a person to be able to reflect on their life and be happy with it (Brook, 2015, p. 315).
Human
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flourishing consists of the social goods of human life, such as education, family, friendships, relationships, work and wealth. These external goods are important features of human life as they contain a quality of goodness but because we have limited control over them they are not essential for happiness or human flourishing (Brook, 2015, p. 315). My goal was to focus on marriage to gain happiness and I was prepared to keep the illusion while my husband was unfaithful because I thought living the lie would make me happier than being alone. I can see now that marriage is still important but recognize it as an external good in life as it contributes to living well and a greater good but will not count if I am not living honestly or if the other person is not happy also. Being prepared to accept the breakdown of my marriage was not acting or living to the best to my abilities, which is important if I want to grow and flourish. Happiness is a matter of how you live your life and how well you can cope through hardships and loss (Brook, 2015, p. 318). Human flourishing is also achieved through moral virtue, development of good habits of action in order for them to be a good person (Brook, 2015, p. 316). Aristotle mentions human flourishing is gained through the virtues and good acts we show, our needs must be good, meaningful or ethical contributing towards a life worth living (Vella, 2008). The good life is when a human knows they have tried their best, acted and lived well to the best of their abilities this will ensure a prosperous life. Similar to moral virtues are intellectual virtues which involve the use of reason in order for someone to act and live well. Being able to think with excellence means a person can understand certain truths in life which enables them to make better decisions to achieve goodness (Brook, 2015, p. 316). In order to reach happiness a person needs to be able to reflect on what they want to be, the kind of life they want and how they want to live, realizing and acting such values and morals are important because it will bring a person closer to achieving happiness (Brook, 2015, p. 317). In my situation I needed to assess what was going on around me, I lacked the capacity to reflect and be truthful to myself and acknowledge what I was doing was negative. What I have learnt is that relationships are important to parts of life and to be happy with but they are not sufficient alone especially when the quality of the relationship is not good. The cardinal virtues which consist of prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice are crucial to human flourishing as they help to moderate our desires and appetites in order to act well (Barnes, 2009). I did not have the courage to face the relationship and would never contemplating confronting him and ending the relationship as it would seem I had failed because of this I was not producing quality of goodness. After reflecting on what had happened I now having a deeper understanding of the gravity of that situation, I was willing to hurt myself because I did not have the knowledge to realize I was making it worse by ignoring the problems and all of the lies and deception were to heading towards a greater good. 4. Module & Reflection Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher and theologian who believed in ultimate happiness which he called ‘beatitudo’, described as the ‘last good’ leaving nothing else to be desired which is experienced in the afterlife to those whom God revealed himself to (Davies, 1993).
For Aquinas the last end of happiness can only be with God because he is perfect goodness and is the only one capable of fulfilling our hearts desire (Van-Nieuwenhove & Wawrykow, 2005).
In order to have perfect happiness the ultimate good must provide a sustained sense of happiness and fulfillment leaving nothing more to be desired. This is why Aquinas believed it was found in the absolute being of God as nothing else in this lifetime could be equivalent to it (Davies, 1993).
Human flourishing cannot be achieved through pleasure, short term desire, material wealth or status (Stephens, 2015, p. 323). When a person show signs that they are still searching for something else, like I did when I started questioning myself ‘is this it?’ desire had not come to rest, and even though in my mind my goal of marriage had been achieved I needed to stop and evaluate my own desires and realize I had been completely neglecting them and I had not in fact reached the ultimate good. Pleasure is not the goal of human life but it does accompany the good life as pleasure can never truly satisfy (Sober,
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2009). The ultimate good must be so good that no part of it can be bad, there can be nothing outside of it that can be better and it should not be preferable to something else (Stephens, 2015, p. 323). Once I realized this it put my understanding of external goods into perspective in terms of what kind of happiness they bring, I do not feel bad for me actions, I know I cannot change them but I’m now thinking clearly and appreciate it as a growing experience I needed to have for me to be on the right path now. Aristotle and Aquinas both agree that in order to achieve happiness a person must use their moral action to choose a virtuous path, by exercising specific virtues (Kretzmann & Strump, 1993). The theological virtues are revealed to humans through the teachings of Jesus; they are faith, love and hope (Eardley & Still, 2010). Aquinas believes God has infused these traits into certain people and it is up to them to exercise them well, the need for hope is most important as perfect happiness is not available in this lifetime. Aristotle’s definition of success was living a life virtuous in activity throughout an entire lifetime (Barnes, 2009).
The importance of the ultimate good must act as an entire rule of life, we must behave in a matter that is tending to the perfect good (Stephens, 2015, p. 324). Aquinas argues that for every action there must be an order of intention, that there must be a final cause that motivates us to act in the first place,this action must be always be reliable and consistent for the intention of the cause which is the ultimate good (Van-Nieuwenhove & Wawrykow, 2005).
Similar to Aristotle’s argument regarding truth, Aquinas idea of happiness is completion, perfection or well-being and achieving this means a person needs to have intellectual virtues to help understand happiness and motivate a person to seek it in a consistent way (Van-Nieuwenhove & Wawrykow, 2005). To be intellectual means to be a good thinker and understanding your reality, being truthful to what is going on around you and being able to understand and take action toward what is good.
If I were rearing the end of my life and I had stayed in a toxic relationship it would be obvious to me at that point that I had not lived a life worth being happy with.
After deep thought happiness is a feeling that has nothing to do with the truth but truth is an essential element to real
happiness I was willing to accept the betrayal and unkindness in my marriage for the sake of me feeling like everything was alright and I was happy, from the outside my marriage looked perfect but it all fell apart anyway and he left me. After considering the philosophies from both Aristotle’s ‘Human Flourishing’ and Aquinas ‘Ultimate Happiness’ I have a good understanding of what happiness truly means and how I am meant to achieve it through self-honesty and reflection, to be the best person I can possibly be to others and myself is crucial to my happiness now and for the future.
Humans, throughout recorded history, have searched for a proper way of living which would lead them to ultimate happiness; the Nicomachean Ethics, a compilation of lecture notes on the subject written by Greek philosopher Aristotle, is one of the most celebrated philosophical works dedicated to this study of the way. As he describes it, happiness can only be achieved by acting in conformity with virtues, virtues being established by a particular culture’s ideal person operating at their top capacity. In our current society the duplicity of standards in relation to virtue makes it difficult for anyone to attain. To discover true happiness, man must first discover himself.
From chasing joy to evading misery, it seems as if the ultimate purpose in life is to achieve happiness. However, the question regarding how to define and acquire happiness has continued to be a disputed topic. Beginning back in 350 BC, Aristotle developed and supported his view on human happiness as the fundamental end goal of human life in Nichomachean Ethics. However, others did not universally agree upon Aristotle’s accounts and ideas about happiness. In around 550 BC, Solon preached his own theory on happiness in The Histories, stating that a person’s happiness cannot be determined until death, testing Aristotle’s beliefs. Solon attempts, but fails, to refute Aristotle’s belief that happiness is an eternal, virtuous state, by arguing instead that happiness is subject to change.
From examining ends and goods, Aristotle formulates eudaimonia. He questions “what is the highest of all the goods achievable in action?” (Shafer-Landau 2013, 616). Aristotle argues that the majority of people agree that the highest good is achieving happiness, however, they disagree over what happiness actually is, for example, some claim t...
Simply defined, happiness is the state of being happy. But, what exactly does it mean to “be happy?” Repeatedly, many philosophers and ideologists have proposed ideas about what happiness means and how one attains happiness. In this paper, I will argue that Aristotle’s conception of happiness is driven more in the eye of ethics than John Stuart Mill. First, looking at Mill’s unprincipled version of happiness, I will criticize the imperfections of his definition in relation to ethics. Next, I plan to identify Aristotle’s core values for happiness. According to Aristotle, happiness comes from virtue, whereas Mill believes happiness comes from pleasure and the absence of pain. Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior which are driven by virtues - good traits of character. Thus, Aristotle focuses on three things, which I will outline in order to answer the question, “what does it mean to live a good life?” The first of which is the number one good in life is happiness. Secondly, there is a difference between moral virtues and intellectual virtues and lastly, leading a good life is a state of character. Personally and widely accepted, happiness is believed to be a true defining factor on leading a well intentioned, rational, and satisfactory life. However, it is important to note the ways in which one achieves their happiness, through the people and experiences to reach that state of being. In consequence, Aristotle’s focus on happiness presents a more arguable notion of “good character” and “rational.”
From pursuing pleasure to avoiding pain, life seems to ultimately be about achieving happiness. However, how to define and obtain happiness has and continues to be a widely debated issue. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle gives his view on happiness. Aristotle focuses particularly on how reason, our rational capacity, should help us recognize and pursue what will lead to happiness and the good life.';(Cooley and Powell, 459) He refers to the soul as a part of the human body and what its role is in pursuing true happiness and reaching a desirable end. Aristotle defines good'; as that which everything aims.(Aristotle, 459) Humans have an insatiable need to achieve goodness and eventual happiness. Sometimes the end that people aim for is the activity they perform, and other times the end is something we attempt to achieve by means of that activity. Aristotle claims that there must be some end since everything cannot be means to something else.(Aristotle, 460) In this case, there would be nothing we would try to ultimately achieve and everything would be pointless. An ultimate end exists so that what we aim to achieve is attainable. Some people believe that the highest end is material and obvious (when a person is sick they seek health, and a poor person searches for wealth).
Contrary to Aristotle’s view that supreme happiness is related to earthly living, Augustine argues that supreme happiness is not truly found until one seeks eternal life with God. While both mostly agree on the definitions of the virtues, differences arise when one looks at their views on the ends that those virtues should be directed towards. In this essay, I will discuss both Aristotle and Augustine’s ideas of virtues and what each thinks humans should do in order to truly find and achieve the supreme good of happiness.
Teleology can be defined as the search for the end goal, or ultimate purpose of an action. In order to propose the idea that there is an “end goal” in human life, or a further purpose to life, Aristotle introduces teleology. By understanding an action, the end goal can be determined. Aristotle then brings forth the idea that life would be “fruitless” without fulfillment, and that happiness is therefore the end. Aristotle defines happiness as general well-being, or human flourishing. He arrives at this definition by determining that there must be a result , or further purpose to of actions, otherwise life would be fruitless. Aristotle states that happiness as the a chief good is meaningless, and a better definition is needed for the chief
To begin, happiness is viewed as the ultimate goal in the life of an individual and highest good, Aquinas believes that no human can achieve higher wisdom and happiness during their time on earth due to the fact that man’s ultimate happiness would only be achieved by passing on and being in the presence of the lord, or as he terms it: “Along with natural happiness, there is a supernatural happiness of comping to “see God as he is”. (P.77) by living a just and moral life, we will eventually know true happiness in the next life. In fact, he goes on to argue that our happiness during life is bound by what God reveals to living souls, and thus, drastically limited. While our human faculties provide some happiness, only in our heavenly vessels will
On Aristotle’s search to find the highest good of a human being, he first asked what the ergon, or task, of being human is. His main focus was mostly on what the purpose or goal of human existence should be. Aristotle said that everyone is trying to reach happiness, whether it is by having money, love, or being honored. However, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, he believes that the good we are trying to reach is one ultimate level of experience and that it is “desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else.” All the other good that we experience throughout our lives is just pushing us toward the one thing that will make us happy in the end. Although we may think of being happy as a state of mind, Aristotle thought of it as how you lived your life. In other words, the happiness will not come and go within a couple of minutes or hours. It is a goal that is reached “at the end of one’s life and is a measurement of how well one has lived up to their full potential as a human being” (Shields).
Happiness is defined as a “state of being happy”. This concept of happiness seems rather simple to the ordinary person. According to Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, happiness is not merely a state. In fact, there is a lot more substance within the dimension of happiness that one must acquire and comprehend to achieve. While Aristotle defines happiness as the final end and self sufficient (8), Kant does not. Instead, Kant emphasizes the kingdom of ends, in which all are subject to the categorical imperative as rational autonomous beings with the intention of universalizing one’s maxim, not happiness. This paper will explore Aristotle’s definition of happiness in comparison to Kant’s.
Aristotle feels we have a rational capacity and the exercising of this capacity is the perfecting of our natures as human beings. For this reason, pleasure alone cannot establish human happiness, for pleasure is what animals seek and human beings have higher capacities than animals. The goal is to express our desires in ways that are appropriate to our natures as rational animals. Aristotle states that the most important factor in the effort to achieve happiness is to have a good moral character, what he calls complete virtue. In order to achieve the life of complete virtue, we need to make the right choices, and this involves keeping our eye on the future, on the ultimate result we want for our lives as a whole. We will not achieve happiness simply by enjoying the pleasures of the moment. We must live righteous and include behaviors in our life that help us do what is right and avoid what is wrong. It is not enough to think about doing the right thing, or even intend to do the right thing, we have to actually do it. Happiness can occupy the place of the chief good for which humanity should aim. To be an ultimate end, an act must be independent of any outside help in satisfying one’s needs and final, that which is always desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else and it must be
Happiness is the ultimate goal for everyone in life. Aristotle's definition of " happiness is happiness is the activity of the soul in accord with perfect virtue. To become a better person, we must practice virtuous acts regularly. After a while, these acts will become a habit and so the virtuous acts. part of our every day life and the person will be leading a virtuous life.
The pursuit for happiness has been a quest for man throughout the ages. In his ethics, Aristotle argues that happiness is the only thing that the rational man desires for its own sake, thus, making it good and natural. Although he lists three types of life for man, enjoyment, statesman, and contemplative, it is the philosopher whom is happiest of all due to his understanding and appreciation of reason. Aristotle’s version of happiness is not perceived to include wealth, honor, or trivial
According to the Webster dictionary, the word happiness is defined as enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy. When people think of happiness, they think about having a good feeling inside. There are many types of happiness, which are expressed in many ways. Happiness is something that you can't just get; it comes from your soul. Happiness can be changed through many things that happen in our everyday lives.
Happiness can be viewed as wealth, honour, pleasure, or virtue. Aristotle believes that wealth is not happiness, because wealth is just an economic value, but can be used to gain some happiness; wealth is a means to further ends. The good life, according to Aristotle, is an end in itself. Similar to wealth, honour is not happiness because honour emphases on the individuals who honour in comparison to the honouree. Honour is external, but happiness is not. It has to do with how people perceive one another; the good life is intrinsic to the...