Aristotles view of happiness
Aristotle, in Nicomachean book I, says that every human action is intended to some end, which is considered as good. He also discusses that everybody tries to attain a supreme good, which is happiness. I agree with Aristotle that every human being craves for happiness, which is the highest good and ultimate goal of any activity. In this paper I will explain his arguments and explore the concept of happiness in terms of human beings. Aristotle believes that happiness is the universal goal of every human being; however every person has a different way of achieving happiness. We choose happiness as the highest good because happiness is sufficient as an end in itself, which means that the final answer of any question is to achieve happiness. He further explains that intelligence and virtues are good only because they make us happy. According to Aristotle people are judged good or bad by their activity and their function. He justifies his statement by giving an example of flutist; a person who plays the flute well is a good flutist. Playing the flute is the flutist's function as it distinguishes him or her from other people. The distinctive activities performed by humans distinguish them from other living
Animals and humans differ from plants because of their movement, desire to achieve something, and actions. Some may seek happiness through misery, while others may happiness in materialistic things. Thus the concept of happiness is different for every person. Happiness is the most fulfilling end, the sum of all other ends. Furthermore each person attains happiness by performing certain activities. Thus you eat healthy food to live a happy life. Happiness is different for every person, and each different type of person has a different habit to gain happiness. While, every activity has certain aims and goals, when Aristotle spots happiness as the highest goal, he is claiming that happiness is the ultimate end of any action. Aristotle means that, it is clear that everybody desires to be happy, but they chase happiness by different ways. As Aristotle says, all our actions have a purpose to achieve something good for us. Thus Aristotle's concept of happiness as an ultimate goal can be challenged here. On the other hand, perhaps Aristotle can argue that renouncing materialistic life is the ascetic's way to attain happiness.
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