ipl-logo

Aristotelian Concept Of Happiness

827 Words4 Pages

According to Aristotle, an individual can achieve happiness only by realizing all the works and activities in accordance with reason throughout his lifetime. He claimed that happiness consists in cultivating and exercising virtue and it is the ultimate purpose of human existence, as stated in his work Nicomachean Ethics “He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout a complete life”. However, such Aristotelian concept of happiness inevitably contradicts the understanding of history as development which maintains that fulfilling the work of human exceeds the limits of an individual and thus can only be achieved in the course of history. Three …show more content…

Lessing describes the Old Testament as an educational primer a student had outgrown, after which a more suitable instructor was required. As shown in his statement “That is, this portion of the human race had come so far in the exercise of its reason that it required, and could make use of, nobler and worthier motives for moral action than the temporal rewards and punishments had hitherto been its guide. The child becomes a boy.”, when human reason was finally ready for the second step of its education, Christ became the first practical teacher of the immortality of the soul and the New Testament came to serve as the second primer which was better suited for the second step of revelation.
As such, Lessing presents human history as a progressive development of human reason that is enabled by the education of human race through revelation. Lessing concludes his argument by affirming that humanity will certainly arrive at the ultimate stage of the education of the human race. This ultimate stage is represented by the fulfillment of revelation as well as the complete realization of human

Show More
Related

  • The Argue Of Happiness In Plato's Apology '

    265 Words  | 2 Pages

    Examining one’s life can bring many joys. There are many things that give people the idea that their lives are meaningful. These ideas could be the pursuit of pleasure and happiness, entertainment, sports, power and money, possessions and security, being famous and success, meeting other people, knowledge and every other thing that can give the smallest amount of happiness to the person. In the apology Plato describes Socrates’ venture to question people would were wise and content with their wisdom, but when they asked a series of questions to test their wisdom they were revealed not to be wise and were now upset. The flaw in that was that these people did not examine what had happened to them and did not learn from it.

    Read More

  • Quotes From The Count Of Monte Cristo

    1932 Words  | 8 Pages

    “I don’t think that man was meant to attain happiness so easily. Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it” (Dumas 18). In this quote, Dantes is speaking to Danglars, a greedy and envious crewmember of the Pharaon about how lucky he is to have a beautiful fiancee like Mercedes.

    Read More

  • What Is Epictetus Ability To Achieve Happiness?

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    Epictetus was in 55 C.E. at Hierapolis in Phrygia, which is modern Pamukkale, Southwestern Turkey and dies in 135 C.E. (New World Encyclopedia). He was born a slave of Epaphroditus, but then eventually went to Nicopolis, a city in Greece, and he acquired freedom. He studied and taught stoicism. He believed that in order to achieve happiness, a person will need to understand what is in their control and what is not. This is true because a person does not have the ability to be happy when they are worried and stressed over things that is out of their control and do not have the ability to change.

    Read More

  • The Pursuit Of Happiness In The Iliad

    964 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Pursuit of Happiness Who I am today has primarily been dictated by the environment in which I have been raised. I will continue to be molded throughout my life, but now I am entering a period of my life where I will be the one deciding who I am. Today, I am not the person I want to be and not the person who many perceive me to be, but am striving to become the man I want to be. In my life, I constantly find myself trying to balance friends, family, school, and sports.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Aristotle And Utilitarianism

    1413 Words  | 6 Pages

    Many classical philosophers have given their voice to the nature of human life and what entails its climax. The very nature of human beings has been investigated, broadly, to establish a comprehensive understanding often pegged on morality. Yet, such thoughts have prompted diverse viewpoints with accompanying grounds or reasons. Happiness is an unending topic of discussion in philosophy. This paper explores the similarities and differences in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism to coin a position in whether or not happiness is the ultimate end that human society aspires to acquire.

    Read More

  • Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Argument

    1210 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thus, when human function is done well, it is in accordance with virtue and best human life is achieved. In addition, it can be inferred that since Aristotle’s definition of happiness is to be virtuous, performing rational activity well can lead to happiness. In addition, Aristotle states, “if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete” (1098a18). This means that eventually there will be one virtue that is inclusive of all virtue and that displays an end, and this virtue will be in line with the self-sufficient and inclusive concept of happiness as the chief good. If this inclusive virtue and good is achieved, ultimate happiness will be achieved as well.

    Read More

  • Good Life Research Paper

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the history, there have been heated discussions on what constitutes a good life. Philosophers have given different annotations on the meaning of good life based on their beliefs, perspectives or even scientific-based evidences. Some view a good life as an accumulation of material goods that brings “large amount” of pleasure to oneself. On the other hand, Mencius and Aristotle advocate good life as possessing of pleasure that incorporates ethical values and they believe that by doing so one will experience enduring happiness. There is no ultimate right or wrong for these interpretations since this is not a factual question.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Aristophanes On Happiness

    183 Words  | 1 Pages

    Firstly, Aristophanes argues that when you have a relationship with someone it leads you to be happier than when you are single it leads the person with sadness. You can be single being happy and to have only self trust, or you can have a partner be sad and being heartbroken every day. Aristophanes explains ̋These are people who pass their whole lives with each other, but can’t even say what they wish for themselves by being with each other ̏ (Plato, 192c). People spend 5 years together, but they are not speaking to each other and they are unhappy, and they end up with a divorce. Some people always have an idea of the perfect relationship in their minds.

    Read More

  • Plato's Concept Of Happiness And Happiness In Plato

    1048 Words  | 5 Pages

    In all of Plato 's dialogues, Socrates ' main goal is to achieve happiness, although friends and foes alike present him pathways that could lead to pleasure, but not true happiness. Moreover, in Crito, Socrates pursues happiness by obediently following the Athenian law, whereas, Crito tries to lure him into committing an unjust action so that he can obtain the pleasure of having a friend and keeping a good reputation and so that Socrates can still have the pleasure of life on earth1. One can know that happiness and pleasure are different due to the fact that happiness is a state of being eternally fulfilled, but pleasure provides a person only an immediate and short-lived image of fulfillment. If happiness is being eternally fulfilled, then it would not be of this world because this world has many flaws and is mortal.

    Read More

  • Happiness In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

    1087 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the concept of happiness is introduced as the ultimate good one can achieve in life as well as the ultimate goal of human existence. As Aristotle goes on to further define happiness, one can see that his concept is much different from the 21st-century view. Aristotelian happiness can be achieved through choosing to live the contemplative life, which would naturally encompass moralistic virtue. This differs significantly from the modern view of happiness, which is heavily reliant on material goods. To a person in the 21st-century, happiness is simply an emotional byproduct one experiences as a result of acquiring material goods.

    Read More

  • The Chief Good In Life

    1118 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to Aristotle, everything we do in life, we do for the sake of some good, or at least something we perceive to be good. We call an act good if it satisfies a certain need. The satisfaction of this need is then considered good if it is a means for satisfying some further need, and this in turn is good if it will satisfy still another need. Sooner or later this process reaches a point where it is no longer a means for some further end but is an end in itself. This final end is what Aristotle means by the chief good.

    Read More

  • Aristotle Happiness

    319 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first pleasure and enjoyment is shallow with not foundation in virtue. The second should be something a person receive, not a possession. Although the second is better then the first, the motivation is the difference between the second and the third. 3.

    Read More

  • Aristotle Pleasure Essay

    873 Words  | 4 Pages

    Aristotle argues that pleasure is related to Happiness in that it perfects the activity of life. I disagree because in my experience happiness encourages me to seek out pleasure. Moreover, it seems like the modern world has become consumed by indulgence to the extent that Aristotle’s arguments no longer apply. In the early parts of the Ethics, Aristotle suggests that life is about the pursuit of the supreme Good.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Aristotle And Martin Seligman

    908 Words  | 4 Pages

    At the end of everyone’s lives, the goal appears to be about attaining happiness. Describing how to obtain happiness has been an issue that was debated in the past but is still talked about now . In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expands on his view of happiness and he focuses particularly on how reason helps recognize and pursue what will lead to happiness and the good life. I feel that Aristotle’s philosophies on happiness are important works within the field of philosophy and he considered one of the………of it . In this paper, I will explore Aristotle’s beliefs regarding happiness then compare and contrast them to those of Martin Seligman.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Globalization In The Philippines

    1154 Words  | 5 Pages

    For Aristotle, happiness is the end and purpose of human existence. To pursue happiness is to go for telos. Happiness is neither pleasure nor virtue, but an exercise of virtue. Happiness cannot be achieved until the end of one’s life. Hence, it is a goal not a temporary state.

    Read More

More about Aristotelian Concept Of Happiness

Open Document