"Happiness depends on ourselves", Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. This is why he devoted more space to the topic of happiness than any other thinker prior to the modern era.
Aristotle was convinced that a genuinely happy life required the fulfillment of a broad range of conditions, including physical as well as mental well being. In this way he introduced the idea of a science of happiness in the classical sense, in terms of a new field of knowledge.
Essentially Aristotle argues that virtue is achieved by maintaining the mean, which is the balance between two excesses. Aristotle doctrine of the Mean is reminiscent of Buddha's middle path, but there are intriguing differences.
For Aristotle the mean was a method of achieving virtue, but for budda the middle path reffered to a peaceful way of life which negotiated the extremes of harsh asceticism and sensual pleasure seeking.
For Aristotle, it is by understanding the distinctive function of a thing that one can understand its essence. Thus one cannot understand that the distinctive function of a gardener is' to tend to a garden with a certain degree of skill'. Whereas human beings need nourishment like plants and have sentience like animals, their distinctive function, says Aristotle, is their unique capacity to reason. Thus, our supreme God, or happiness is to lead a life that enables us to use and develop our reason and that is in accordance with reason. Unlike amusement or pleasure, which can also be enjoyed by animals, happiness is not a state but an activity. And like virtue or goodness, it is profound and enduring.
Aristotle acknowledges that our good or bad fortune can play a part in determining our happiness. He acknowledges that happiness can be affected by such factors as our material circumstances., our place in society, and even our looks.
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. As we saw in Book 1-2, Aristotle thinks that happiness is "an activity of the soul in conformity with virtue." Happiness depends on us! And since living a virtuous life is all about making choices, Aristotle spends a good part of Book 3 talking about voluntary and involuntary actions. What did you think about what he had to say in this book? (5-6 sentences)
Aristotle makes the claim to achieve happiness in our soul we must find contentment in our daily living. We should aim for the “mean” in our lives. We can achieve this state by not doing things in excess or by putting very little effort into something. To achieve the most happiness, we should aim for the middle. Moral virtue is achieved as the result of being in a “mean” state. Don’t halfway do things in life. On the flip side,...
philosophy question (use 3-5 sentences to answer) Aristotle's theory of happiness involves an end goal, or human telos called eudaimonia. Existentialists, like Jean Paul-Sartre, have a different conception of human life than eudaiminists like Aristotle. Define existentialisam and explain one main difference between Sartre's and Aristotle's view of the human telos?
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics 1.) What is the difference, according to Aristotle, between performing virtuous actions and being a virtuous person?
Describe the factors associated with happiness, as well as those not associated with happiness. Why do these correlations exist? How do ‘relative deprivation’ and the ‘adaptation level phenomenon’ explain why money does not buy happiness and why people think it does?
does the sentence “in zest, happiness awakens” make sense, or does “in zest, happiness adapts” sound better?
Who was Aristotle? What is The Poetics? Why did he write it? List and explain the six components of tragedy as described by Aristotle.
Many attempts have been made to relate happiness with various factors. One such study relates happiness with age and finds that holding everything else constant, people are least happy when they are in their mid-40s (The Economist, December 16, 2010). Data are collected on a respondent’s age and his/her perception of well-being on a scale from 0 to 100; the data is presented below. Age Happiness 49 62 51 66 41 67 65 71 84 87 41 60 83 86...
Explain Aristotle ideas and how they connect to good communication.
Many attempts have been made to relate happiness with various factors. One such study relates happiness with age and finds that holding everything else constant, people are least happy when they are in their mid-40s (The Economist, December 16, 2010). Data are collected on a respondent’s age and his/her perception of well-being on a scale from 0 to 100; the data is presented below. Age Happiness 49 62 51 66 41 67 65 71 84 87 41 60 83 86...