Is Happiness the Best Good - 439 Words

Happiness? Is happiness the best good? In book 1 chapter 7 Aristotle brings up the topic happiness and is it the best good for humans. He says â€Å"But presumably the remark that the best good is happiness is apparently something [generally] agreed, and we still need a clearer statement of what the best good is. Perhaps, then, we shall find this if we first grasp the function of a human being† (1097b22-25 Aristotle). That statement is saying the main function of Humans is to look for happiness. Aristotle thinks happiness is to broad of an assumption and that there are several types of happiness that branch off of happiness its self. Aristotle says humans need a clearer statement of what the best good is. Human beings already have happiness to chase after; but Aristotle believes there are different kinds of happiness. With the different types we get people trying to strive for different types of happiness and are maybe unclear as to which one to chase. This is where Aristotle says the confusion comes in. We need a clearer explantion of happiness and what it is. From reading book one we can see there are four subcatergories of happiness; which are material, formal, efficient and final. Aristotle is trying to get at which one is the most important one to us as human beings. It is really to see that humans want money, pleasure, and to be trusted and honored because we believe that these goods will lead us to being happy. It also seems that all other goods are ways towards findingShow MoreRelatedAristotle On The Human End Essay1331 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle on the human end (telos) In book I of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle establishes the essence of a good life before he discusses the specifics of how one can train to live a good life later in his work. In the grand scheme of his introduction, Aristotle asserts: in order to live an excellent and complete life, i.e. the best life, every mean with reasons and virtues works towards happiness, or Eudaimonia, which is the end (telos) for the sake of itself of all actions (praxis). We will discussRead MoreAristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Essay example1128 Words   |  5 PagesIn Book 1 of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he argues that happiness is the best good, and the goal of an individual and of those leading and governing society. Here, happiness is understood as both living well and doing well, rather than the convention sense of happiness as an emotion. According to Aristotle, happiness is achieved though actions involving reason and in accord with virtue, or the best of the virtues of there are more than one. In this paper, I will provide a brief overview of theRead MoreThe Ethics Of The Nicomachean Ethics1140 Words   |  5 Pagesseems to seek some good.† (Aristotle Bk.1, Ch.1). This is a fitting way to begin, as it addresses exactly what the entire book hopes to convey. While at this point in the novel, readers remain unaware what the good that he is referring to means, it becomes clearer and clearer as it progresses why this is such an apt beginning. The Nicomachean Ethics is devoted to the notion that all humans are attempting to seek the ultimate end, which Aristotle describes as happiness, or the Good. If, as he says,Read MoreAnalysis Of The Book Nicomachean Ethics By Aristotle1667 Words   |  7 PagesAristotle describes various way of living one’s life, the ultimate goal in life, and how to achieve happiness and live the best life. Aristotle describes three different kinds of lives in Nicomachean Ethics. These three lives consists of the life o f honor, the life of pleasure, and the life of study. Aristotle, from the first book, insists that the life of study or contemplation is considered to be the best life. He argues that self-sufficiency is required for the life of study whereas the life of honorRead MoreThe Philosophies Of Aristotle And Confucius978 Words   |  4 Pagesphilosophies of Aristotle and Confucius establish virtue as a moral trait that encompasses love, courage, good manners, and happiness. To achieve virtue, one must display qualities of altruism and promote benevolence in every action. The virtuous person lives by a high moral standard that is achieved through the habitual conditioning of disposition. Temperament is trained by recurrently choosing the best course of action or the one that causes the least amount of pain or suffering towards others. The virtuousRead MoreIs It The Right Thing For Me? Join The War After College?1064 Words   |  5 Pagesscenarios where we have to make choices. Deciding wh ich choices we make is often times determined by what we deem as right and wrong. There are no clear-cut, black and white answers to these questions, so we have to take it upon ourselves to do our best to make the right choices. Imagine this, your country is heading to war, and you want to help serve your country against the terrorists attacking your home. So you go to school majoring in the enimes language. However, while going through school itRead MoreAristotle s Theory Of Happiness1651 Words   |  7 PagesLife Happiness is one of the biggest subjects that have the most influence in a person’s life in today’s world. People have discovered that happiness is actually related to multiple benefits of our mental and physical health. Every person wants to experience true happiness throughout his/her life. Nevertheless, everyone is suffering finding sustainable happiness. Aristotle, in his work called Nicomachean Ethics, presents the concept that living a virtuous life will produce sustainable happiness forRead More Voltaires Candide Essay1146 Words   |  5 PagesCandides ultimate discovery that happiness in many ways depends on a persons attitude. Voltaires philosophy expressed through Candides final realization is that We must cultivate our garden, which is the key to happiness(p.585). By cultivating our garden, Voltaire means that we must make the best of our situation in the present moment. We accept what we are given in life and work to make the best of it. It all has to do wi th our perspective on life. We do not find happiness somewhere else or by philosophizingRead MoreThe Ethics Of Being Charitable1425 Words   |  6 PagesBeing Charitable Moral obligation to be charitable to others in Mill’s perspective will be defined in terms of morality as the assessment of consequences. He will say that the correct or right action is the one that creates the greatest utility (happiness) for the greatest number. A utilitarian argument on obligation to others according to Mill will be very simple. In his definition, he will argue that in order for anyone to accept any obligation, they need to estimate the utility generated by acceptingRead MoreEssay on Happiness in Aristotle’s work: The Nicomachean Ethics629 Words   |  3 PagesAristotle’s work, The Nicomachean Ethics, consists of numerous books pertaining to Aristotle’s Ethics—the ethics of the good life. The first book discloses Aristotle’s belief on moral philosophy and the correlation between virtue and happiness. The definition of happiness has long been disputed. According to Aristotle, happiness is the highest good and the ultimate end goal—for it is self-reliant. This idea contradicted other common beliefs and philosophical theories. Aristotle opens his work by