What Does Aristotle Think Is Required for Human Happiness - Essay Example

What does Aristotle think is required for human happiness? by The of the The of the School (University) The City and State where it is located The Date What does Aristotle think is required for human happiness Introduction If one takes a close look at the human civilization, one can not help noticing that it may be largely characterized by an important role that is played by Ethics in it. Indeed, the notion of the latter can hardly be found anywhere beyond the boundaries of the social environment that is composed by the humans. In broad sense Ethics tries to define what is right and what is wrong. However, it also sheds light on the important notion of happiness which is something that is desired by all people. That is why it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that Ethics helps people to understand what happiness is. This paper will present the view of Aristotle with regard to the issue in question and examine the elements that are required for human happiness. First, the analysis will dwell on broad definition of happiness. Afterwards, it will examine the function argument. Then it will move to the kinds of good and the connection between happiness and virtue. The next point of investigation is the concept of golden mean as well as two extremes that can be found in relation to it. Another important aspect that will be highlighted is the nature of happiness as activity, not as state of mind. Several obstacles on the way of achieving happiness will be examined. Finally, friendship as an irreplaceable prerequisite for achieving happiness will be reviewed. The definition of happiness It will be rather logical to begin with examination of the way happiness is perceived and defined by Aristotle. Thus, the philosopher in question argues that happiness or the term the he uses eudaimonia is the supreme and complete good. Moreover, it should be seen as the ultimate end in life of a person (Engstrom, 1996, p. 102). He argues that all actions that are performed by a person lead to an end, but the latter often lead to another end. When it comes to happiness, there is no end that it leads to. That is why it should be seen as the pinnacle of life or the ultimate goal of it. As one can easily see, the very definition rests on the premise that happiness is an action, not a state of mind. However, this will be examined in the latter paragraphs. Aristotle is by no means a narrow minded person: while proclaiming happiness the ultimate end of life, he provides an account of different kinds of lives that can be lived by a person. The first one, he says, is the life of gratification that is full of pleasure and comfort (Davis, 2011, p. 66). In spite of the fact that it may lead to some sort of happiness, the philosopher dismisses it as merely a shadow of it. The next kind is the life of money making. This path is able to bring a person to the extreme of wealth, but it can hardly bring true happiness to one. Then there is life of political action. While it seems more spiritual than the previously mentioned ones, similar to them it can only bring a shadow of what is happiness. Finally, the fourth kind which is the philosophical way of life can bring happiness. Therefore, contemplation and reasoning is the precondition of happiness. Happiness is functioning according to one’s nature The first argument that is made by Aristotle focuses on the idea that true happiness can only be produced when a person lives a life according to one’s natural predisposition (Yu, 2007, p. 56). This can be understood in several ways. First of all, a person should find a talent in something and pursue the path of it. For example, if one is capable of playing a flute and finds particular joy in it, playing flute and achieving excellence in it will be a sure road to happiness for this person. In other words, one’s nature is inseparably connecting to something that one likes and feels a natural inclination towards. Secondly, Aristotle brings the function argument to a whole new level. He points out that a human being is dramatically different from any other living organism. The philosopher argues that plants, animals and humans have a desire for nutrition and growth; so, the material side of human nature should not be seen as characteristic. He carries on suggesting that animals and humans share a sensitive aspect which results in the feelings in instincts; this means that the emotional part of our nature is also not exclusive. However, Aristotle noted that reasoning is something that is characteristic to humans; that is why it should be seen as the proper function of an individual (Dahl, 1984, p. 112). Therefore, happiness can be achieved is a person fulfill one’s function, namely pursuit the path of reasoning. Happiness is life according to virtue It would not be a mistake to suggest that the notion of virtue plays an important role in the legacy of Aristotle. That is why there is no surprise in the fact that it should be engaged while considering the nature of happiness. Thus, as it was noted in the definition, the latter is the ultimate good. However, Aristotle gives a hierarchy of what can be seen as good. On the bottom level, there are external good such as power, wealth or fame (Vermigli, 2006, p. 199). The next level includes good that is connected to body such as good looks, health or strength. Finally, there is one more level, which includes the good that is connected to one’s souls which is virtue, artistic creativity or education. The major claim that is made by the philosopher lies in the fact that the concept of happiness should be firmly associated with virtue. There are several reasons for that. First of all, unlike the two previously mentioned kinds of good, namely the external and the one connected to body, virtue belongs to the group which includes concepts of higher nature. Secondly, people are able to exercise a considerable amount of control over the good that is connected to their soul in contrast to other kinds (White, 1992, p. 107). However, in order to get a better understanding of this idea, it may be suitable to take into consideration some objections that might be made with regard to it. For example, some might argue the pure luck is able to predispose one person to more happiness that another. Thus, while it may be true to a certain extent, one can hardly argue that luck is able to influence ones moral decision. Secondly, one might question if a person is supposed to focus exclusively on virtue or try to achieve other good. It is quite understandable that true happiness can be achieved only in balance; so, the close connection to it does not rule out other elements of it. Happiness is a balance between two extremes Having established a firm relationship between happiness and virtue, one might explore the nature of the latter to gain a better understanding of the former. Thus, in the view of Aristotle defining what is not virtue may be as useful as defining what virtue is. Thus, he argues that there are two opposites to every virtue with each reflecting the excess or the deficit of a particular quality (Leitzel, 2008, p. 4). For example, being a coward stands for lack of power. On the other hand, rashness means that a person has power in excess. Therefore, courage should be considered to be a real virtue as it lies between the two extremes. Indeed, if one takes a close look at the concept of the Golden mean, one will be able to see that it always leads a person to the best possible outcome. That is why it would not be a mistake to suggest that to a certain extent the ideas of happiness and virtue are interchangeable in the discussion that is carried out by Aristotle (Kristjánsson, 2007, p. 79). That is why the concept of the Golden Mean may be applied to both these concepts. As a result, happiness may be defined as the perfect balance between two extremes which are the opposite of happiness. As a result, this once again contributes to the definition of happiness as an activity since it requires a person to be flexible and find the right combination between various elements. Happiness is not a state, but a specific kind of activity Several times is the analysis that was performed in the previous paragraphs it has been stated that happiness should not be perceived as some kind of a stable category that is achieved once and for all. Aristotle is firm that is a dynamic category that manifests itself in different forms (Pakaluk, 2005, p. 316). Therefore, the definition of activity suits its better than a state. It would not be a mistake to suggest that this is a rather revolutionary approach toward this issue as it shows that following a certain set of rules and achieving a specific result is not enough to become happy. That is why happiness should not be seen as a result, but rather a process. With this in mind Aristotle puts emphasis on the necessity to practice virtue on a daily basis. This is the only effective way to become happy. The philosopher himself explains it in the following way: while an athlete might be strong and excellent in a particular kind of sport, the only way to gain recognition is to compete against others. Otherwise, an athlete can hardly be admired if he simply contemplates a competition. This means that happiness is something that comes through practices and the latter becomes an irreplaceable element of it. In other words, it is impossible to become happy; however it is quite possible to be happy. As a result, the category is question will be achieved only if a person puts a sufficient amount of effort into it. All this leads to the understanding that one might choose to be happy rather that hope that happiness will appear one day out of the blue. As it has already been noted, happiness should be recognized as a process that people have control over; therefore, ones will is surely and important prerequisite for it. Indeed, according to Aristotle, it is virtually impossible to become happy if one does not put any effort into it. This, in turn, requires ones will to be focused on a particular action. This approach is particularly important as it shows that under specific conditions happiness can be induced by a person which means that it is completely achievable. Happiness can appear if both will and intelligence are present It may be particularly important to analyze various obstacles that are able to appear on the way of achieving happiness as they are able to shed light on the nature of happiness itself. Thus, it is argued that the lack of will may prevent this from happening. It is quite understandable every person would like to be happy; nevertheless few people would like to work to achieve it. Indeed, sometimes a person may be unhappy not because the circumstances does not allow one to, but because one does not make even the slightest step towards achieving the desired. Of course, there might be situations when a force major exists; however, this should be rather perceived as an exception rather than a rule. Another point that should be mentioned is that happiness can hardly be achieved without intelligence. The philosopher in question made a strong connection between this concept and virtue. The latter is considered to be the good of the soul, just like intelligence. There is not doubt that the amount of knowledge has nothing to do with chances if achieving happiness. Nevertheless, the development of ones outlook has a direct impact on it. One might also recall the different kinds of life that were mentioned in the beginning. Thus, the philosophical way of life was found to be the only one that leads to happiness and it is closely connected to education and intelligence that ultimately makes life of a person happier. Happiness can only be achieved with the help of friendship Several times in his works, Aristotle points out that friends should be seen as a significant element of life of a happy person. This can be easily illustrated by the following quote: “For without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods” (Aristotle, 2014, p. 136). Indeed, in his view the presence of other people in life of a person should be regarded as a precondition of happiness. There is not doubt that the latter is a self sufficient category and the necessity of engagement of other people is explained in several ways: they allow one to compete with them, they form a family that one takes care of. Therefore, in spite of the fact that happiness may be seen as something personal, it inevitably includes other people who perform different roles. The philosopher in question acknowledges the fact that there are several kinds of friends. First of all, there ate people who are associated with each other because of the pleasure that is being generated by their interaction. While this might be seen as a good kind of friendship, it will end quickly as soon as the pleasure is no longer achieved. The next kind of friendship happens between those people who find it mutually beneficial. In other words, utility us what brings them together. Unlike pleasure, it is not so dependent on emotions and, therefore, might last longer. Nevertheless, similar to the kind which was discussed previously, it is likely to end when interaction between two people will no longer be mutually beneficial. Finally, there is a kind of friendship when two people want their partner to walk the path of personal evolution and this is the best case. Therefore happiness can be achieved only in case one has such friends. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence that was brought up in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: there are several elements that Aristotle thinks are necessary for achieving happiness. Thus, one should be able to follow the philosophical way of life as this predisposes a person to appreciation of the right kind of values. Secondly, it is important to function according to one’s nature and put emphasis on reasoning as this should be regarded as characteristic feature of the human nature. Thirdly, happiness can be achieved exclusively through virtue as a person has a considerable amount of control over it. Fourthly, happiness can be found only in the perfect balance between the two extremes which represent excess and deficit of a certain quality. Fifthly, it is important to keep in mind that happiness is an activity rather than a state of mind. Therefore, it must be practiced constantly to be achieved. Sixthly, there are several obstacles on the way of it which is lack of will and lack of intelligence. Finally, Aristotle points that friendship should be seen as an important element for it since one can hardly become truly happy in case one does not have friend of the right kind. References References Aristotle 2014, Nicomachean Ethics, Hackett Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. Dahl, N 1984, Practical reason, Aristotle, and weakness of the will, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN. Davis, M 2011, The soul of the Greeks: An inquiry, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. Engstrom, S 1996, Aristotle, Kant, and the Stoics: Rethinking happiness and duty, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Kristjánsson, K 2007, Aristotle, emotions, and education, Ashgate, Aldershot. Leitzel, J 2008, Regulating vice: Misguided prohibitions and realistic controls, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pakaluk, M 2005, Aristotles Nicomachean ethics: An introduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Vermigli, P & Campi, E 2006, Commentary on Aristotles Nicomachean ethics, Truman State University Press, Kirksville, MO. White, S 1992, Sovereign virtue: Aristotle on the relation between happiness and prosperity, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. Yu, J 2007, The ethics of Confucius and Aristotle: Mirrors of virtue, Routledge, New York, NY. Read More