Reasons why Aristotle concludes that the happy life is the life of virtue
Aristotle argues that the happy life (Eudaimonia) is the life of virtue. Eudaimonia is translated to mean happiness. When Aristotle speaks of the good life as the happy life, he means an active life of functioning well in the ways that are essential to humans and not the life of just feeling happy and amused. He enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and an end in itself. Ends are goods aimed at; every craft and every investigation, and likewise every action and decision, seems to aim at some good. (Health is the end of medicine, victory of generalship). An end not wished for because of some other good, an end chosen for itself, an end to which all other ends are subordinate would be the most choice worthy end, (i.e. the best good). An end pursued in itself is more complete than an end pursued because of something else (Nicomachean Ethics 1097a 30-34). Aristotle concludes that happiness is the end which meets these requirements. (1097b 5), happiness is a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with complete virtue. Honor, pleasure, understanding and every virtue are chosen because of themselves, since we would choose each of them even if it had no further result; but we also chose them for the sake of happiness, supposing through them we would be happy.
The majority of people (the most vulgar) believe that the happy life is the life of pleasure; driving good cars, enjoying a cold beer with friends on a hot afternoon, although pleasure is a necessary part of happiness, not all pleasures are good because they can affect us negatively; straining our relationships, causing bad health or get us into troubles. Again, many pleasures turn us into slaves because we become reliant on them (i.e. cocaine users). Pleasure alone does not provide us with engagements that makes life fulfilling and satisfying. He says this concept of happiness fails to distinguish humans from animals. “In this they appear completely slavish, since the life they decide on is
The majority of people (the most vulgar) believe that the happy life is the life of pleasure; driving good cars, enjoying a cold beer with friends on a hot afternoon, although pleasure is a necessary part of happiness, not all pleasures are good because they can affect us negatively; straining our relationships, causing bad health or get us into troubles. Again, many pleasures turn us into slaves because we become reliant on them (i.e. cocaine users). Pleasure alone does not provide us with engagements that makes life fulfilling and satisfying. He says this concept of happiness fails to distinguish humans from animals. “In this they appear completely slavish, since the life they decide on is