Introduction
Happiness is a phenomenon that cannot be described easily. This can be attributed to the fact that different people have varying views on being happy. Therefore, happiness should be seen as something which makes a person feel content and satisfied after doing an action. This makes them achieve honor, pleasure and self-actualization. Therefore, we can incorporate Aristotle’s theory on happiness in the discussion. The essay shall thereby argue why happiness is the greatest good according to the great philosopher, Aristotle.
According to Aristotle, he claims happiness to be a result of the actions that an individual participates in. His theory argues that happiness can be realized by the virtues of a person are exercised to their maximum (Payne, 2013). Further, he states that being happy depends on oneself. In the study of ethics, Aristotle argues that happiness is the primary objective as to why people do things, for example, going to school or working to have a better life.
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Aristotle says that happiness is a continuous journey which involves achieving good health, knowledge friends and wealth which leads to the enrichment of human life. It’s important to note that these qualities need one to make healthy choices .For instance, some of the lesser needs of happiness ensure that one derives pleasure immediately as opposed to the greater needs that require a lot of hard work and sacrifice. For example, one may readily go to a club to have fun but at the same time may not quickly settle down to do a given assignment.
There have arguments on what consists of happiness. For instance, can one derive his or her happiness from knowledge, pleasure, honor, wealth or good health? Aristotle claims that one cannot be happy while living for the pleasure since such lifestyle can be so mindless. On the other hand, you cannot derive happiness in the pursuit of honor as this involves pleasing everyone around despite the fact that they have different feelings and attitudes towards a person. Hence, it’s difficult to be happy through the following procedures.
Happiness solely depends on one’s soul (Michael ,2013 For instance, if one does good deeds acceptable by the society like doing charity work, being honest and being dignified, then it becomes easier for them to become fulfilled thus a peaceful feeling which makes one feel happy and content. This can be opposed to such people who do not strive to do any good to the society as they are always troubled hence cannot experience any happiness. We can agree with Aristotle when he says that human happiness is defined by his or her functions in relation to the human feelings and conscience.
Happiness is a unique experience for the people in contrast to the animals and plants. Hence, the function is part of the practical life of the individuals. The primary emphasis is on the conduct of a person. Therefore, happiness is determined by the activities that individuals do in their daily lives. Aristotle says that happiness is derived naturally from the right actions. Moreover, the action has to be repeatedly done in one’s lifetime.
However, there a weakness in Aristotle’s view on happiness especially when he says that only people who apply the use of reasoning are the only ones capable of being happy. For instance, he argues that what makes the human beings better from animals is the fact that they can reason and have the ability to perform various actions. Yet, we have cases of talented animals which can do things assumed possible only by the human race with training for example dogs. Furthermore, even young children cannot reason or perform certain actions until they attain a certain age. A child is happy at any age; hence, this makes Aristotle’s idea of relating happiness to reasoning incorrect.
Also, Aristotle states that in search for happiness, on has to have the highest goods. In his assumption, the goods should be desirable for the sake of oneself or others. Although we can ascertain that individuals can be happy by having other goods.in other words, people can be happy if they have power, honor, and wealth .this raises the question of whether the same individuals will still be happy if the goods are taken away. Hence, there are lesser goods which can enable an individual to be happy thus making it interdependent.
Moreover, can pleasures and virtues change the definition of happiness by man? We can agree that these bring happiness as their end result .Though, circumstances can influence the virtues and pleasures one associates with joy (Schermer, 2013). Hence, it’s wrong to say that achieving happiness depends on virtues and pleasures since one has to have all the attributes at the same time to experience happiness. This implies that individuals lacking such traits may never be happy. For instance, a poor or sick person can never be happy .However, Aristotle claims that if the persons adhere to the moral values, for example not lying or killing makes someone have a clear conscience making them happy despite their difficult circumstances.
Conclusion
Happiness cannot be defined as it depends on an individual’s view on what makes them satisfied and fulfilled. Therefore, philosophers such as Aristotle have come up with theories which suggest that happiness can be achieved through living a morally upright life. Even so, elements such as wealth, knowledge, honor and good health have also been included as factors contributing to one’s happiness. Thus, human actions and beliefs are the primary determinants of their happiness.
References
Michael Argyle, (2013) The psychology of happiness : Routledge.
Payne, A. (2013). Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle, by AW Price: Ancient Philosophy , 33 (2), 443-446.
Schermer, M,. (2013). Health, happiness and human enhancement dealing with unexpected effects of deep brain stimulation: Neuroethics , 6 (3), 435-445.
