Preview

Aristotle's Happiness and Virtue Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
468 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Aristotle's Happiness and Virtue Essay Example
In Aristotle’s piece entitled “Happiness and Virtue,” he discusses the different types of virtues and generally how one can achieve happiness. According to Aristotle, human happiness is a life long process. It is continuously ongoing and the purpose has the end in itself. Happiness is an activity of the soul and in that is an ongoing actualization of the soul’s potential for virtue. Being virtuous is self- sufficient in itself and therefore leads to human happiness. There are four parts of the soul which are discussed. The first is the vegetative which the sole activities are growth and nutrition. This is known as the natural virtue. Every human has this portion in their soul yet it is still on the same level as lower organisms which perform these basic metabolic processes. The nest and moderately more complex portion of the soul is the sensitive area which evokes animalistic sensation, desires, and appetites. This is an example of what Aristotle refers to as an ethical virtue. It is a habitual behavior where a “relative mean” between excess and deficiency must be mastered according to circumstance. Finally, there are the intellectual virtues which separate humans from animals and the rest of life here on earth. Practical reason is one in which humans have the ability to think and reason. Under this type of virtue, he also states that as you make yourself more virtuous or perform more virtuous acts, it is self-fulfilling and self-rewarding. If these virtuous acts are ongoing over a lifetime, the person, in Aristotle’s eyes, can and will achieve happiness. The second type of intellectual virtue is theoretical reason where based off of reason and personal experience, one will gain wisdom and therefore the highest virtue attainable (according to a philosopher’s opinion). It is an end in itself, self- sufficient, and is, in his opinion, the most divine. Wisdom is what truly makes us human. Since happiness is a continuous activity and our final end, wisdom is the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Though Aristotle does not explicitly speak of meaning, he surely considered the reality of impartial values and meaning. While his primary concern was on the happiness gained by accounting for these values, he does not say that the happy life means the meaningful. However, we can infer that he thought that the good life and the meaningful life are equals. Therefore, Aristotle’s plan in order to live a good life is understandable, and is a guide to a meaningful life.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle believed that we as humans have natural obligations that provide happiness. Happiness consists of pleasure and the capacity to develop reasoning.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Aristotle states that everything that a man does is for an end purpose. He defines happiness as actions in accordance with reason. If humans live out their lives to their full potential and live according to reason and with virtues, than they can obtain happiness. In today’s world, many think that happiness is got from money, success, and fame. Many people believe that these things are essential for happiness. Aristotle suggests, it is what we do in our life, not what we gain from our life, like money or success, which gives us happiness. He argues that happiness does not occur instantly. In our world today, we want to feel happiness instantly. However, Aristotle does not rely on this idea. He believes that happiness comes over time and the things that happen in short lived moments do not truly make us happy, but that the activities or virtues, we engage in over time give us happiness in the end. He contends that by achieving certain virtues, it leads to happiness in the long run, not in an instantaneous moment. In our society today, Aristotle’s ideas on happiness would not be useful. In Aristotle’s perfect world, everyone would be virtuous and happy. Unfortunately, that is not how our society works today. Aristotle’s ideas are inaccurate because many people gain happiness out of doing unvirtuous actions. For example, Hitler gained some sort of happiness out of murdering Jews.…

    • 555 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    ‘Aristotelianism is defined as happiness as the quality of a whole life time.’ “Happiness is the purpose for which we live. Aristotle concluded that happiness is not a moment to moment experience of pleasurable things but rather a way of characterizing how one’s life is being conducted. Happiness is living and having lived a good life”. (Janaro & Altshuler, 2009)…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Aristotle 's Nicomachean Ethics, he is not trying to prove a Supreme Principle or a Rule to follow as a Utilitarian or a person of Deontology would suggest but rather, Aristotle is concerned with virtue ethics; a cultivation of character to be morally good. He does reach the conclusion that happiness is the final end that human beings are trying to achieve, and the activity of contemplation is the most complete happiness. Secondly, to further give reasoning as to why contemplation is superior over deliberation, a discussion of the relationship between philosophical wisdom and practical wisdom will be mentioned. In conclusion, Aristotle 's argument claims that moral life is a secondary happiness to contemplation. He gives evidential reasoning which will be discussed to show that he does not undermine his Virtue Ethics by making this claim.…

    • 1526 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the quest to find out what is the ultimate human good, Aristotle dedicated Book 1 of the Nicomachean Ethics to provide an account of what is the ultimate human good, and what it consists of. This essay will examine why Aristotle thinks that eudaimonia (happiness), is the ultimate human good. Through this discussion, we will see Aristotle suggest four central views which are critical to eudaimonia being the ultimate human good. Firstly, one has to live a life according to one’s function. Secondly, natural, virtuous activity is required in order to live a life of happiness. Thirdly, one requires possessing external goods such as wealth, power and friends in order to be happy. Last but not least, in order to live a life of happiness, one has to live a whole life in accordance to virtue in order to determine if the person lived a happy life.…

    • 1794 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Aristotle and Happiness

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. According to the text a full functioning completely happy person will be mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, professionally, creatively, and socially healthy & well rounded individual. Happiness involves being really alive and not just existing. Aristotle believes that a person should work hard doing what they love, they also shouldn’t devote their lives to acquiring riches since riches don’t provide happiness. One should also reject fame and public success to become happy as self sufficiency is believed to provide happiness. Happiness is a process starting from infancy. A happy life is a life where spiritual, physical and social needs are met under reason and moderation. I think Aristotle recipe of happiness involves a person making a conscience decision to do the right thing in all aspects of their life. I think the happiness he refers to is obtained by living a healthy life, being in tune with our psyche, having a career that we enjoy, having friends and family to love, and having enough riches to support ourselves without gloating about them.…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It is clear that Aristotle thinks happiness is what every human desires. He defines happiness as the highest good (Ethics 1095a), which by definition every person pursues as an ultimate end (1094a). Furthermore, he says that happiness can only be achieved through fulfillment of our characteristic activity, which is the thing that something does which makes it be that thing; for example, the characteristic activity of a flute-player is playing the flute. The good of anything with a characteristic activity is to perform that activity well (1097b). The characteristic activity of a human, says Aristotle, is a life concerned with reason (1098a), or more specifically, the activity of a soul concerned with reason. Therefore, the good of a human is to perform this activity well; that is, to live a life in accordance with virtue. Because this is a good of the soul, and goods of the soul are the best type of good (1098b), and because achieving the good of a human is the ultimate goal of being a human, Aristotle says that a life in accordance with…

    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Aim of Man

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Aristotle starts off in his essay explaining the definitions of Good, Primacy of Statecraft and the study of Ethics. He defines good as where all things are to be aimed, for example health. He then defines Statecraft as citizens of a state, a country, and of the world need to do good for their own good but more importantly for the good of the state. He also characterizes various types of good. Finally, the definition on study of Ethics. This talks about the pure excellence of justice that involves the disagreements and agreements of uncertainty and certainty. Aristotle also talks about happiness and where a certain point can be overlooked and how arguments can be led from first principles. First principles came about in a variety of ways: by induction, direct perception, and habituation. The question then leads to where the sources of happiness come from but a result of virtue of learning or some kind of training. Because the virtue of learning and the some kind of training is rewarded by a blessing that is generally shared but with the exception of the virtue being stunted. Aristotle concludes his essay by examining the most human element, the soul, and its relationship to virtue. Aristotle’s definition of happiness is, “Happiness is a certain activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue”.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Structure of Trifles

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Susan Glaspell, author of the play Trifles quickly grabs the audience’s attention by her use of…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Louis P. Pojman's Analysis

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Aristotle was Plato’s prize pupil who discussed the types of moments where moral correctness may be applied to certain events, nature of virtues involved in the sound morality of humans as well as the ways to achieve happiness in one’s life. The overall question that Aristotle tends to ask himself and try to answer is the question that pertains to human character and personality, what do we as humans need to do, to be considered as a good person. Aristotle explained that every activity has a final cause and purpose at which it aims to achieve and he argued that since there is not an infinite amount of goods, there has to be one type of good that is the highest and most important which humans strive towards. He continues to describe this ultimate good and decided that it could be called happiness, however the only puzzling question left is, what is happiness? Due to its existence in so many forms it is tough to describe happiness as one true thing…

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Help

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    References: Aristotle. (2010). Happiness and the Virtues. In J. Kozyrev (Ed.), Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life. Clark Baxter.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle believes that people's actions are governed through their desire to achieve happiness. According to Aristotle, the purpose of human life is by happiness through living your life entirely by your actions as an individual on…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Virtue Ethics

    • 1196 Words
    • 5 Pages

    has more to do with character and the nature of what it is to be…

    • 1196 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Kant Vs Aristotle

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages

    A virtuous individual does neither react excessively or deficiently rather, they find a ‘mean’, a middle ground to react moderately in any situation. This concept of, “a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean,” is Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean (2009, p.31). For Aristotle, there are two different forms of virtue; moral virtue which arises from habit and intellectual virtue which arises from experience (2009, p.23). Moral virtue expresses the pursuit of finding a relative middle ground, the ‘mean’. While, the intellectual virtue of practical wisdom (phronesis), defines the mean such as the appropriate action or correct amount of feeling. Furthermore, Aristotle employs an empirical method to formulate his theory on the source of virtues action. Through human observation in the physical realm, Aristotle claims, to conduct virtuous actions, one must make choices lying in a mean constantly in our daily life. Aristotle believes three conditions must be met, for an action to be virtues; one must have knowledge of what they are doing, one must perform virtue for its own sake, and the action must proceed from a firm unchanging character. Aristotle believes, if we abide by such conditions, our character would be best suited to live a human life, a life of happiness (eudaimonia). According to Aristotle, the source of virtues action is concerned with choices…

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays