The Good Life: Views of Plato and Aristotle - Essay Example

? “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” ? Aristotle “The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom.” ? Plato (Name) (Professor’s name) (Class code) 3 March 2013 The Good Life Plato and Aristotle have largely different views about what the good life is and how it can be obtained, whether in spite of, or due to the fact that Plato was Aristotle’s teacher. As with all opinions, just because they are diverse, does not mean that one is right, or one is wrong. Aristotle’s views, while not necessarily congruent with Plato’s views, do show a strong influence as a result of what Plato taught. Plato’s discourses are heavily influenced by the Pre-Socratics and Sophists, and none too little influenced by Socrates himself, however, while they may show those influences, the views are entirely his own. Plato’s primary literary form was the dialogue; he would use two characters of opposing sides arguing each point with the other in order to show both sides of the philosophical question and in doing so, allow his true views to show through. In The Allegory of the Cave, an excerpt from Plato’s Republic, the reader receives some insight into what Plato believes “the good life” to be. Plato speaks first of the State, and discussing how it can be tailored to be the best that it can be, speaking of how “the State in which the rules are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst (The Allegory of the Cave, 4).” This is one of the more influential teachings of Plato’s in relation to Aristotle, something that will be touched upon later. Plato, still in The Allegory of the Cave, discusses Homer’s perspective, “Better to be a poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner” (6). Plato refers to the concept discussed regarding those whose eyes are not yet opened to the fact that the shadows are not reality; that anything at all would be better than to remain under the false impression that the shadows dancing on the wall are all that is there, are all that is real. He would rather have enlightenment, knowledge, and suffer, than to remain in the dark forever, thus showing that one characteristic of “the good life” in his view, is knowledge. A key insight into Plato’s view comes along towards the end of The Allegory of the Cave when he pronounces “they who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life” (10), showing that in order to have it good, one must have virtue and wisdom, before any form of monetary wealth, in order to be considered to have a high quality of life. It is not just Plato’s Republic, however, that shows what his opinions are on what is good and what is right; one must look to Plato’s other works in order to find out more. Plato took it upon himself to write of Socrates, and the trial which took place during his life. Socrates had a habit of not writing down any of his teachings, preferring instead to spending the time teaching others to question the world as he did. Among Plato’s other works were the Euthyphro, the Apology, and the Crito; these works speak of the trial, the sentencing, the imprisonment and the death of Socrates. Based upon the way that Plato has written these discourses, in fact, the way that he wrote all of his works, it is a task of relative ease to pull key phrasing from these dialogues, in order to find out more about what Plato considers to be “the good life.” In the Euthyphro, Plato makes it clear that distinction is important. It is not enough to know generally of what a thing is, or what a thing means, but necessary to have a set explaination of the actions of not only the individual, but those around the individual. In the writing of the discourse between Socrates and Euthyphro, the reader can see how each clarification leads to another clarification, until Euthyphro leaves rather than providing specifics as to why his point of view is correct. One section in particular discusses the careful distinction that “through there is fear wherever there is reverence, is it not correct to say there is fear there also is reverence. Reverence does not always accompany fear; for fear, I take it, is wider than reverence. It is a part of fear, just as the odd is a part of number, so that where you have the odd you must also have number, though where you have number you do not necessarily have the odd” (15). The phrasing is used in such a way as not only to continue to show how Socrates is thwarting Euthyphro’s argument at each turn, but also through careful word choice throughout the Euthyphro, to show how important it is to be precise in your wording, and to say what you mean. In the Apology, special note is paid to whether or not something is just, “Give your whole attention to the question, whether what I say is just or not?” (22). Plato comes back to this very subject multiple times; again later, it is spoken that “those of you , Athenians, who have any reputation at all ought not to do these things, and you ought not to allow us to do them” (42). Plato, through Socrates, encourages those who would lead a good life to do what they feel is right, instead of “sit(ting) to give away justice as a favor, but to pronounce judgment; and (be sworn), not to favor any man whom he would like to favor, but to judge according to law” (42). Accept no favoritism, fight the idea of showing favoritism to those whom you would otherwise choose; break no oaths, and live your life in a just manner. Another point that Plato strives to make when speaking of passing judgment, is that different is not wrong, different is only different. He speaks of the fact that rumors and reports would not have arisen if there was not some backing for them, in regards to Socrates, but Socrates then speaks through Plato (25), stating that he has gained his reputation simply by reason of a certain wisdom, and because his actions make those less wise feel more foolish, providing an important lesson in the fact that different is merely different, and those who are wise to recognize that will lead a life better than those who do not. As the manner in which these points are shown has been made clear, a brief summary of other key points of Plato’s regarding what constitutes the good life are as follows. Some of these follow the teachings of Socrates, whereas others are merely portrayed using the dialogue as a form of expression. A person must be wise and know that they know naught, for knowing that you know nothing is the beginnings of true wisdom. Stand up for what you believe in, do not merely stand up for something because the majority opinion says you should, or in order to get back at someone; hold fast to the strength of your convictions. Do not hold onto prejudice or resentment; do what is right even if it means knowingly going to your death. Do not fear death, for that shows foolishness, as no one knows what comes after. It is evil and disgraceful to do an unjust act and to disobey any superior, whether it be man or God. Follow a higher power, and do what is right above all else, even in the face of death. Do not undervalue the most valuable, nor overvalue the least valuable. Care for the soul and the improvement of same before the body, before material wealth. Wealth does not bring excellence, excellence brings wealth. Death makes no difference, so long as you do nothing unjust or impious. Arrogance and lack of respect are looked down upon. No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and that an unexamined life is not worth living. A man should lack impudence and shamelessness. He should not plead because someone else wants him to, nor weep, nor wail, nor act in any other way that is unworthy of him. It is much more honorable and much easier not to suppress others, but to make oneself as good as one possibly can. It is disgraceful to care more for money than for friends. Public opinion should not matter. Do not pick the easy way just because it is the easy way; pick the way that best holds to your reason and purpose. Do not cast aside beliefs because of misfortune, a person should always stand by what they believe in. The highest value is not upon living, but living well. Do evil to no one. Never act unjustly. Do not repay evil with evil. Take care of one’s own self and not that of anyone else. Be not careless. Do not lay blame on those two whom it does not belong. Be noble and gentle and courteous and kind. In following these seeming platitudes, one can fully discern Plato’s view on “the good life.” Aristotle’s views on “the good life” are more easily discerned, without having to read between the lines, so to speak. In The Aim of Man Aristotle states that “the good is rightly observed to be that at which all things aim” (12). Everything is not the means to an end, the end is the good, and it must be the highest good; the knowledge of that will influence lives. He further states that the good of the state is always greater than the good of the individual, for the good of the state also benefits the individual, something that he discerned from listening to, and learning from, the teachings of Plato. Aristotle further states his opinions rather bluntly when he discusses that to do anything from vanity, or to do anything vainly, is bad; to do something without any profit is bad; to be swayed by feelings is bad. Aristotle believed that to be well educated in general, or on a specific subject was good, and that immaturity was useless. As to what the greatest good is, Aristotle tells the reader that “the majority of men, as well as the cultured few, speak of it as happiness; and they would maintain that to live well and to do well are the same thing as to be happy. They differ, however, as to what happiness is” (15). A portion of it also speaks of the fact that moral training is required before man can listen intelligently regarding excellence and justice. The fact that all men have different opinions on what happiness is does not stop Aristotle from describing what he believes it to be, nor what he believes to be “the good life.” Aristotle tells the reader that happiness equated with pleasure is vulgar, that honor equated with happiness is superficial. He expounds upon the subject by expressing that good is the sake of which all else is done, and not all ends are final. The supreme good must be the final end, and that final good is happiness, for it is always chosen for its own sake and never for the sake of something else. Happiness is self-sufficient, the end and aim of all mankind does. To convert Aristotle to a platitude, as Plato has been, if you want to win, you have to play the game; an analogy used by Aristotle himself when discussing the happiness of the victors of the Olympic Games. He goes on to state that he disagrees with the inscription at Delos which reads “Perfect justice is noblest, health is best, But to gain one’s heart’s desire is pleasantest” (21). Aristotle, instead states that happiness is the best, noblest and pleasantest pursuit, though he does add a qualifier to state that happiness requires an addition of external prosperity, which is why it can be mistakenly equated with good fortune or virtue. In addition, he states that happiness is better when shared, and it is better if you have to work to obtain it, but that happiness is only achieved with a complete lifetime. Agreeing with Solon, Aristotle follows the phrase “call no man happy until he is dead.” Aristotle goes on to state that a happy man is one whose activities are an expression of complete virtue, and who, at the same time, enjoys sufficient worldly goods, not just for a limited time, but for an entire lifetime. In Aristotle’s view, a lifetime of happiness is “the good life” and in Plato’s view, “the good life” is a summation of all parts, of piousness, virtue, excellence, distinction, justice, and standing up for the truth, to name a few. Plato believed in the sum of the parts, and Aristotle went for a more direct approach, which is true of all of the works by both philosophers. Aristotle writes with a clinical precision, determined to get his ideas across succinctly, while Plato expands upon concepts, more concerned that the idea gets across than any one specific quote. Regardless of whose teachings you follow, or whose perspective you believe, “the good life” is something that all of mankind strives to attain. Works Referenced and Works Cited Aristotle. Introductory Readings. Trans. Terrence Irwin and Gail Fine. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Company, Inc., 1996. Print. Aristotle. "The Aim of Man." Plato's heirs classic essays. Lincolnwood, Ill: NTC Pub. Group, 1996. 11-28. Print. Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie's World A Novel about the History of Philosophy. New York: Berkley, 1996. Print. Plato. Plato Euthyphro, Apology, Crito. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1987. Print. Plato. "The Allegory of the Cave." Plato's heirs classic essays. Lincolnwood, Ill: NTC Pub. Group, 1996. 3-10. Print. Read More