"Wealth Is Evidently Not the Good We Are Seeking” Aristotle
"Wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking” Aristotle
Introduction
One of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), once said "Money is a barrier against all possible evils." Indeed, money can be used for good and the acquisition of money can be done in a moral and upright way. He advises the reader to restrain from striving for wealth, since a lot of money does not make one very happy, and he also does not believe that wealth is important for happiness. For instance, one man can be satisfied with small wage, whereas another man will feel poor with twice the amount. As a matter of course we need enough wealth to live, but more is not necessary. Wealth can free us from working, but for many people this is not a blessing as most people would be terribly bored. Everybody needs a basic income to be able to survive, but after that, wealth is very relative. This view is corroborated in the findings of contemporary empirical research.[1] Money can prevent the suffering from poverty like cold and hunger. Sickness can be relieved by money as well as giving away money to charity can also bring us the satisfaction of relieving others from suffering. It is harsh to deny the importance of wealth in our lives. However, we should not accumulate our wealth just for money’s sake only, and we should also have a goal or plan for using our money wisely in order to obtain happiness of our lives.
What is happiness?
Aristotle holds that a happy life must include pleasure, and he therefore opposes those who argue that pleasure is by its nature bad. He insists that there are other pleasures besides those of the senses, and that the best pleasures are the ones experienced by virtuous people who have sufficient resources for excellent activity. Aristotle does remind us that virtuous activity is impeded by the absence of a sufficient supply of external goods (1153b17–19).
Introduction
One of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), once said "Money is a barrier against all possible evils." Indeed, money can be used for good and the acquisition of money can be done in a moral and upright way. He advises the reader to restrain from striving for wealth, since a lot of money does not make one very happy, and he also does not believe that wealth is important for happiness. For instance, one man can be satisfied with small wage, whereas another man will feel poor with twice the amount. As a matter of course we need enough wealth to live, but more is not necessary. Wealth can free us from working, but for many people this is not a blessing as most people would be terribly bored. Everybody needs a basic income to be able to survive, but after that, wealth is very relative. This view is corroborated in the findings of contemporary empirical research.[1] Money can prevent the suffering from poverty like cold and hunger. Sickness can be relieved by money as well as giving away money to charity can also bring us the satisfaction of relieving others from suffering. It is harsh to deny the importance of wealth in our lives. However, we should not accumulate our wealth just for money’s sake only, and we should also have a goal or plan for using our money wisely in order to obtain happiness of our lives.
What is happiness?
Aristotle holds that a happy life must include pleasure, and he therefore opposes those who argue that pleasure is by its nature bad. He insists that there are other pleasures besides those of the senses, and that the best pleasures are the ones experienced by virtuous people who have sufficient resources for excellent activity. Aristotle does remind us that virtuous activity is impeded by the absence of a sufficient supply of external goods (1153b17–19).
Bibliography: Meikle, S. (1994). Aristotle on Money. Phronesis. 39 (1), p26-44. Available: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3055359d-033c-480e-a53d-22ba6b768b72%40sessionmgr13&vid=18&hid=19. Last accessed 16th Apr 2012. Collins, D. (1987). Aristotle and Business. Journal of Business Ethics. 6 (7), p567-572. Available: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d49ec6df-ddf5-420b-9a9e-76e38b759ce9%40sessionmgr13&vid=16&hid=108. Last accessed 17th Apr 2012. [2]Kraut, R. (2012). Aristotle 's Ethics. Available: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2012/entries/aristotle-ethics/. Last accessed 15th Apr 2012. [6]Meikle,S.(1994).Aristotle on Money. Phronesis. 39 (1), p26-44. Available: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3055359d-033c-480e-a53d-22ba6b768b72%40sessionmgr13&vid=18&hid=19. Last accessed 16th Apr 2012. [10]Collins, D. (1987). Aristotle and Business. Journal of Business Ethics. 6 (7), p567-572. Available: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d49ec6df-ddf5-420b-9a9e-76e38b759ce9%40sessionmgr13&vid=16&hid=108. Last accessed 17th Apr 2012.