Aristotle argues that happiness is the final end of human life, which means that everything that people do is meant to bring happiness. He holds that human activity is intentional that implies that people act according to their goals. For this reason, people have different goals and they use diverse means of attaining them. To this, according to Aristotle, all the means with which people use to obtain their objectives are not the same objectives, but rather means of ensuring happiness in life (Price, 2015). He notes that while individuals might nominally or formally agree that they desire happiness, there is a disagreement concerning the type of life that would determine such happiness. Aristotle attempted to offer a framework for resolving this disagreement. He does this through proving and describing the formal features of happiness, which he considers that any individual seeking happiness should fulfil.
First, he contends that happiness is the final end of human activity, and he suggests that it should be considered as the purpose of what people do, all that they do, and that which they do not do for any other purpose (Price, 2015). In this regard, therefore, the means of attaining goals can never result in happiness. For example, it implies that money does not make up happiness because it is only the means of obtaining it, but never the happiness itself. Secondly, Aristotle holds that happiness should be self-sufficient, and he describes that happiness should be what individuals are able to achieve for themselves (Aristotle, 1869). In this line of thought, for example, fame does not bring happiness since it is based on what others perceive of an individual. He also adds that happiness should be distinctive to human beings, stating that it is humans that people aim to be happy, and not as other types of beings (Aristotle, 1869). This statement, for example, can be taken to imply that pleasure may not constitute happiness, since it is not distinctive to humans, but rather, it is an element of all sentient beings (Aristotle, 1869). Lastly, happiness lies in an activity, and not in a mere possession of it. By this, Aristotle suggests that happiness should be expressed in human action, and not by a mere consideration of the same. Therefore, he insists that happiness lies in rational living.
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Aristotle points out a sensitive issue in modern life even while his philosophical background dates back to antiquity. For instance, the idea that humans purse happiness in their action appears to be plausible. This conclusion can be analyzed from different elements of human action, from economic, political, and social perspectives. Business people, for example, engage in business since they want to gain profits. The business activities, according to Aristotle’s philosophy, are not happiness in themselves, but the profits constitute the happiness. A similar analysis applies to the social and political scenarios in which people engage in related activities to satisfy their goals. In the event of successful engagements, individuals are likely to continue pursuing similar means of attaining their objectives. Therefore, Aristotle’s explanation of the role of reason in human life is plausible in modern living. However, the fact that Aristotle does not have a model of explaining immortality means that happiness has an end; it ends when individuals die, and death is not happiness in itself. Therefore, people should always strive to pursue their objectives since successful pursuance will always result in happiness.
References
Aristotle (1869). The nicomachean ethics of Aristotle . Longmans Green.
Price, A. W. (2015). Virtue & reason in Plato and Aristotle . Oxford University Press.
