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Happiness and Virtue

Page history last edited by Ferline 15 years, 2 months ago

Review Questions

1)    What is happiness, according to Aristotle? How is it related to virtue? How is it related to pleasure?

According to Aristotle, all human beings can perceive happiness by the accordance of virtue. On what I have understood, a person can get happiness if he is doing the right things such as not hurting other people, obeying the law and etc.

Happiness is related to virtue since if one person has a habit to do only the good things, then he will find that happiness or joy in himself. Also, according to Aristotle, it is doing the mean or middle not being too much. The virtue of courage is the best way to emphasize this happiness. If we have no guts in our life, then we will not be successful. We will just regret that we never do what we really want to do. Being too much is not also good since others will think that we are full of pride.

We all thought that we can be happy if we have money, pleasure and fame which is the opposite of what Aristotle believes. I, too believed that a person will not be happy with the material things or his possessions.

2)    How does Aristotle explain moral virtue? Give some examples.

According to Aristotle, there are two kinds of virtue. One of it is moral virtue. He believed that moral virtue is the state of the character which is the mean between the excess and deficiency. One example I can give, beside the example of Aristotle, about the virtue of courage is the virtue of not eating too much. If we eat less, we are not taking good care of our health. It can result to malnutrition or slim body. But if we eat more, it is also bad since it is against with what the church said about gluttony. Instead of eating it even though we are full, we can give it to the poor people who really needs the food.

3)    Is it possible for everyone in our society to be happy, as Aristotle explains it? If not, who cannot be happy?

Yes, it is possible for everyone in our society to be happy because we have this freedom of what to do in our own self. Even the poor can be happy, if they will just learn how to be happy. They must learn the intellect virtue which is to reflect or contemplate. Being happy is not buying clothes, shoes, jewelries and etc. because they don’t last long. Sometimes even the rich are not happy, that is a good example that pleasure, wealth and possessions will not make a person happy. We have this chance to be happy because we can reflect it through ourselves.

Discussion Questions:

1)    Aristotle characterizes a life of pleasure as suitable for beasts. But what, if anything, is wrong with a life of pleasure?

Aristotle associate the life of pleasure as suitable for beasts since if there is pleasure in our lives, we cannot figure out how we can perceive happiness. Pleasure will only give us the influence of being bad to people. We cannot identify the good ones and happiness if there are pleasures in our lives. Also, having pleasure is giving a person too much of everything that he does not need.

2)    Aristotle claims that the philosopher will be happier than anyone else? Why is this? Do you agree or not?

Yes, I agree that Aristotle will be happier than anyone else since he already achieved the happiness which is not the kings, queens during his time does not yet experiences. He does not have many pleasures, wealth and possessions compare to others. He also found his happiness through what he is doing like writing as a philosopher.

 

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