Socrates, Plato, and Aristotels View on Happiness
What Is Happiness
What is happiness, and how can one achieve true happiness? This is the ultimate question of life and what every person is seeking an answer to. Many feel that they have found their answer in belonging to the faith of their choice, but what is it that their faith teaches them that brings them happiness? The Philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all have a similar view on what happiness is and how to achieve it. Aristotle's view is based on Plato's and Plato's is based on Socrates' teachings; this is why they are similar but they are all important and different with each philosopher's personal views and beliefs. Socrates was a great man who was assassinated for his beliefs on the purpose of life and how to live happily. He presented the excellence of function to determine how a person will truly be happiest. The true person is not what he is on the out side but what his psyche or soul is and when that is functioning well the person is happiest. Psyche is the human capacity for reflective thinking and also the consciousness of the soul. "The unexamined life is a life not worth living." This is a quote from Socrates that supports his views on psyche. It states that when a person does not examine his life to find his true self, or excellence of function, that they are ignoring their true self and that a false life is not worth the time to live it. So an examined life will find its true self or what its function is and want to perform its function well.
The excellence of function is what person's virtue implies. A person's virtue is where they will excel and function well at. So if a person is athletically talented in a sport and proceeds to play professionally they may be happy but if their soul was meant to teach young children to read that is where they will be the most pleased with their life. To find our virtue we must use our techne or practical knowledge and wisdom in how to perform certain skills. Techne is what allows us to function well.
What is happiness, and how can one achieve true happiness? This is the ultimate question of life and what every person is seeking an answer to. Many feel that they have found their answer in belonging to the faith of their choice, but what is it that their faith teaches them that brings them happiness? The Philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all have a similar view on what happiness is and how to achieve it. Aristotle's view is based on Plato's and Plato's is based on Socrates' teachings; this is why they are similar but they are all important and different with each philosopher's personal views and beliefs. Socrates was a great man who was assassinated for his beliefs on the purpose of life and how to live happily. He presented the excellence of function to determine how a person will truly be happiest. The true person is not what he is on the out side but what his psyche or soul is and when that is functioning well the person is happiest. Psyche is the human capacity for reflective thinking and also the consciousness of the soul. "The unexamined life is a life not worth living." This is a quote from Socrates that supports his views on psyche. It states that when a person does not examine his life to find his true self, or excellence of function, that they are ignoring their true self and that a false life is not worth the time to live it. So an examined life will find its true self or what its function is and want to perform its function well.
The excellence of function is what person's virtue implies. A person's virtue is where they will excel and function well at. So if a person is athletically talented in a sport and proceeds to play professionally they may be happy but if their soul was meant to teach young children to read that is where they will be the most pleased with their life. To find our virtue we must use our techne or practical knowledge and wisdom in how to perform certain skills. Techne is what allows us to function well.