Plato: the Good Life Essay Example

How does one define what a good life is? All of us have our own perception of what would consist of in a good life for ourselves. Many would probably say happiness, wealth, and love. Although, is this true for everyone? Most likely…. No. Plato had his own notion on what goodness, and the good life was. In general the good life is a state in which a person would be most happy. Happiness is the state in which we have everything and want nothing. All of the essentials of a 'good life' have been acquired and thus one is happy. Plato sees the good life as the state a person exhibits total virtue. He reasons that a person will exhibit total virtue when his desires have been put out. Plato views the good life as being attained through the perfect love and lack of desire. He ultimately sees the good life as the state a person exhibits total virtue. But what does he consider virtue? Virtue comes from the absence of desires, so true happiness means being satisfied to the point one does not have desires. This satisfaction and happiness occur when a person arrives at the mystical understanding of the world. He believes that everyone has the power to be virtuous. That it is obtainable, and hidden in our nature.
Plato feels that the good life is the same for all people. This I necessarily do not agree on. It is impossible for the same common thing to bring happiness to every human being. Each of us has our own needs and wants to be fulfilled. I do though agree in some ways with Plato, to an extent. To modernize it, I agree that fining the bare necessities and having those can bring happiness. Once we can separate our needs from our wants, I think more people would find happiness. Can a new car really make you happy? Or that new watch you’ve been eyeing? Perhaps for awhile it may, but I’d put money on it that it wouldn’t truly bring you harmony and happiness.
Plato viewed happiness as the state in which we have everything and want nothing, and this is when total