Aristotle - Philosophy for Everyday Life - Essay Example

Aristotle identifies the pursuit of happiness as man’s objective in life and goes on to define this objective in practical terms of virtue and activity. Aristotle’s philosophy, as expounded in the Ethica Nichomachea, is grounded in the practical circumstances of everyday life and, as such, it is particularly relevant as a contemporary moral guide.
Aristotle asserts that all human endeavor is directed towards the achievement of the “chief good” (Aristotle, 32). This good, towards which man’s knowledge and activity are directed, is difficult to define precisely, as it has different connotations for different people.

However, based on the criteria of the chief good being “that which is always desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else” (35), we conclude that it is only happiness which is “final and self-sufficient” (35) and is, therefore, the ultimate objective of man. Aristotle concedes that happiness requires external instruments, such as good birth and prosperity. Man’s function is to perform any activity to the best extent possible and by virtue. Aristotle defines happiness as “an activity of the soul by perfect virtue” (37).

Virtue has both moral and intellectual components - the former, such as temperance, is a result of good habits, while the latter, such as wisdom, can be learned. Virtue is the perfect intermediate or mean, which avoids both excess and deficiency. Aristotle equates well with truth: “The good state is truly in agreement with right desire” (44). The choice is inherent in the practice of virtue. Aristotle affirms that the most self-sufficient and superior kind of life, which will lead to “the complete happiness of man” (44) and enable man to reach for the divine, is the life devoted to the philosophical contemplation of the truth based on reason.

Unlike most other philosophies, which lay down rigid rules (Hobbes), or advocate highly idealistic, intellectual tenets (Kant), Aristotle’s moral principle, which identifies the pursuit of happiness as man’s objective in life and links this objective to virtue and activity, is particularly pertinent to everyday life. It has simplicity and directness which appeal to the best in every individual. Aristotle realistically acknowledges that material prosperity is a prerequisite to happiness.

Again, he exhorts man to be happy by “the good and noble performance” (36) of his functions in life. He emphasizes that it is good habits which lay the foundation of a virtuous, happy life. Aristotle’s contention that virtue is “a state of character which makes a man good and which makes him do his work well” (40), is a precept that brings virtue and happiness within the reach of every man. He unequivocally links happiness to the practice of virtue (37). This is a very practical guide to a good life, as is his connotation of virtue as moderation – be liberal, not miserly or profligate; be courageous, not cowardly or rash. Aristotle also makes it clear that the freedom to choose good or bad remains with man. Read More