Aristotle vs Plato's View on Happiness

Many people try to define and consider different definitions of what happiness is, and I think that Plato and Aristotle offer interesting views of happiness and what it means for one to live a good life. Both philosophers agree that happiness is an important factor in one’s life and essentially the essence of how to live a good life. Plato offers many theories and definitions of justice leading to happiness, while Aristotle argues that happiness is the main goal that all humans aim for in their entire life. Plato offers a philosophical view of a happy life for an individual by explaining a just state and what it would entail and also the theory of the forms that one must understand to achieve happiness. After learning about both philosophers, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with Aristotle’s view of happiness more because he gives us a broad outline of what a good life is. Although Plato was Aristotle’s mentor, Aristotle offers a view of happiness that is more plausible and relevant than Plato’s because it places a large emphasis on the idea of the function of a human being. Therefore, in this paper, I will argue that I agree with Aristotle’s view of happiness over Plato’s because of the way Aristotle describes how humans can achieve the greatest good in life: happiness.

Firstly, I would like to compare Plato’s theory of becoming a just person to achieve happiness, to Aristotle’s idea that the capacity of happiness relies on the surroundings we are raised in. In Plato’s Republic, he attempts to ask the question how does one live and what it takes to search for universal good life for all human beings and not just Athenians. Plato states that for one to be happy or a good person, they must act morally and participate in just activities. Justice is not stealing from one another and being honourable. When we harm others, we’re being unjust and we will not lead a moral life and therefore not be happy. For example, not stealing from a neighbour would make