What is Happiness - Essay Example

What is Happiness? Happiness, according to Aristotle is the outcome of human activity, and the happy man is seen to be at his best in work, activity and liveliness. Happiness, in his opinion, was the ultimate goal of life and of leading a virtuous life. In general, people act in a manner that provides them or assures them of happiness, contentment or satisfaction. Feelings that are transient or fleeting do not have much of an impact on this view of happiness. An important feature of Aristotle’s description of happiness relates to the possession of material goods, enjoyment of the finer things of life or the obtention of honors. These were declared to be unrelated to true happiness (Schervish and Whitaker 16). In his monumental Nicomachean Ethics, he pointed out that the majority of the people believed true happiness to be derived from material things. Nevertheless, people express dissatisfaction with fleeting pleasure and Aristotle rightly points out the futility of expecting honor, possessions and pleasures to provide true happiness. The latter is based on a principle that these cannot create. (Schervish and Whitaker 16). There is some ambiguity associated with the term happiness, which has come to denote an emotion that is the opposite of sadness. Happiness, per se, lacks permanency and determining whether a person is happy is the province of the person experiencing that emotion. Moreover, the attitude of a person towards this emotion determines whether that person is happy or not. Furthermore, the same stimulus or events may fail to produce happiness in an individual, on each and every occasion. Such is the subjective nature of this emotion (Miller).Thus, happiness is chiefly psychological. On the other hand there are some scholars, who believe that happiness is not merely a subjective phenomenon. It is their contention that happiness is the outcome of enjoying a trouble free life. This state of being has been held to be continuous by these scholars. As the underlying elements of such happiness are general in nature, there is no subjectivity involved(Miller). Consequently, any individual under the same circumstances as a happy person should also be happy. Aristotle was of the firm conviction that happiness was understood differently by the elite of society and the common man. Nevertheless, within a specific class of society, there was consensus regarding what constituted happiness. Thus, it was presumed that the proletariat would equate happiness with some obvious condition like pleasure, wealth or honor. On the other hand, the elite could be expected to relate happiness to critical reflection and excellence (Miller). With regard to happiness being the result of the possession of money and health, the elite would attach minimal importance. Ancient ethics promoted the idea that the manner in which people derived satisfaction in their life was the subject matter of ethics. Thus, the good life had to perforce dwell upon issues, such as the manner of life that a person wanted to lead, performing acts that would promote the good of others, and actions that would benefit the individual (White 3). Aristotle had been seized with engendering an environment, wherein good human functioning and prosperity could develop a pace. He was of the opinion that the utmost happiness was to be aimed for, both at the individual as well as the societal level. Physical existence and moral and intellectual qualities were the distinguishing features of a life that was prosperous and good(Örmeci). The human soul, according to Aristotle, is very precious. As a result, it is of far greater importance to fulfill moral qualities, in comparison to other elements. He firmly believed that the best possible life that a man could lead was one whose virtue was adequately supported by material resources (Örmeci).These resources were to promote participation in acts that would uphold virtue.Aristotle was an advocate of the notion that happiness was inseparable from virtue and the good life. Thus, individual happiness and good human functioning were central to Aristotelian thinking. Aristotle recognized that pleasure as an end in itself, was not desirable. Such pursuit of pleasure was deemed to be incomplete. Nevertheless, a certain amount of pleasure that is native to some activity has generally been seen to subsist with any worthwhile activity. This provides the rationale behind people engaging in some activities, whilst attempting to defer or eschew other activities. As such, people tend to undertake activities that provide them with pleasure(Kemerling). It was declared by Aristotle that indulging in virtuous acts would result in unalloyed happiness. Virtuous acts, according to Aristotle, culminated in virtue, which was the only thing that had true value. Any activity that was solely a provider of amusement, without any virtue attached to it, was bound to result in dissatisfaction. As an engrossing aside, Aristotle disclosed that intellectual activity provided man with an opportunity to become proximate to divinity. He further stated that such activity was central to realizing human virtues(Kemerling). In addition, it would be incorrect to surmise that Aristotle decries wealth, which he believed to be central for maintaining the home and hearth, besides providing the opportunity to a person to develop his virtue. It was the firm belief of Aristotle that the pursuit of wealth was to be an ingredient of the greater objective to lead a virtuous life(Clayton). Aristotle was a philosopher who had not lost touch with the reality. He was a disciple of Plato, and after acquiring sufficient knowledge and experience, Aristotle founded his own school. His knowledge was diverse and incisive. It had always been contended by him that happiness could not result from the possession of material objects or the indulgence in sensual activities. The promotion of virtue and the engagement in virtuous activities were indispensable for enjoying happiness that was not fleeting. The views of this redoubtable Hellenic philosopher have as much relevancy today as they had enjoyed during the Golden Age of Greece. The sense of hollowness in human relations and the underlying disquiet ever present among people vindicates the truth of this assertion. In the absence of virtue, even the greatest of pleasures cannot provide happiness. Works Cited Clayton, Richard. "Aristotle: Politics." 27 July 2005. 1 July 2011 . Kemerling, Garth. "Aristotle: Ethics and the Virtues." 27 October 2001. 1 July 2011 . Miller, Jon. "A distinction regarding happiness in ancient philosophy." 2010. CBS Interactive. 1 July 2011 . Örmeci, Ozan. "Wealth and Human Happiness in Plato's and Aristotle's View." 16 February 2011. Caspian Weekly. 1 July 2011 . Schervish, Paul G and Albert Keith Whitaker. Wealth and the will of God: discerning the use of riches in the service of ultimate purpose. Indiana University Press, 2010. White, Stephen Augustus. Sovereing virtue: Aristotle on the relation between happiness and prosperity. Stanford University Press, 1992. Read More