The Pursuit Of Good Life: Aristotle Vs. Penn

Aristotle believed that over time families conglomerated into societies, which naturally grew larger, until at last, they formed a polis. The polis, then, grew naturally out of the proximity cultivated between families over time. Over time, families developed and strengthened their bonds of friendship through marriages, shared social and religious customs, and food acquisition. Conversely, Penn founded his colony of Pennsylvania as a Holy Experiment, meaning that it came together artificially instead of naturally. This artificial inception guaranteed that the citizens shared religious views first, instead of friendship born out of proximity. Because of these key founding differences, Aristotle and Penn take the implications of the government’s
Thus, the members of the community bind themselves together in a political association. However, the polis exists for reasons far loftier than mere property, for “the end of the state is not mere life; it is, rather a good quality of life” (127). The pursuit of the good life–eudaemonia–undergirds every action the polis takes. Thus, while the polis constructs laws to prevent injustice and ease exchange of property, it extends beyond them. The polis springs into existence because of friendship, but that social life gives way to a higher form, wherein all members pursue the good life together. This pursuit drives each member to practice self-government, in the pursuit of attaining self-sufficiency. The laws of the polis cannot cultivate self-sufficiency, because they must concern themselves with preventing injustice, which encourages citizens to pursue the good life, but it does not force
The Quakers faced persecution from many different religious sects. To combat this persecution, William Penn founded his colony of Pennsylvania as a Holy Experiment for the Quakers. This Holy Experiment guaranteed that all participants assent to the same baseline moral standard, upon which all laws compounded. As such, Penn saw government as a divine institution built upon the classical foundation: a Athens and Jerusalem of sorts (38). Penn saw Aristotle’s ideas of the common good and eudaemonia as holy living guided by the inner light of each citizen. To ensure each citizen correctly calibrated his or her inner light, the government instituted laws. These laws served two ends, “first, to terrify the evil doers. Second, to cherish those who do well; which gives a good life beyond corruption, and makes it as durable in the world as good men shall be” (38). Like Aristotle, Penn believed people instituted governments for the sake of securing their happiness (39). COME BACK AND