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Philosophy Underpinning the Good Life: What Is Happiness?

Indeed, happiness is universal in everybody’s pursuit. Whether it be career attainment, nurturing relationships, or inner peace, most of our ultimate goals often boil down to a single question: living the good life. But what does it really mean for a person to be happy? How can we tell what is truly fulfilling? Philosophers have joined in with a host of ideas and theories to weigh in on these questions, and their thinking is continuing to shape the way we think about happiness today. In this blog we take into consideration various philosophical theories of happiness, from virtue ethics by Aristotle to hedonism in its modern incarnations, and show how these theories form a view of what constitutes a good life.

Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics: Happiness through a Life of Excellence

Among the very early and yet most enduring contributions to the philosophy of happiness comes through the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle introduces the concept of eudaimonia, best translated either as “flourishing” or “the good life.” According to Aristotle, happiness is not just associated with fleeting or episodic pleasures but, rather, constitutes the life of virtue and excellence.

Happiness for Aristotle is a life of actions exercised in accordance with man’s highest potential by being built up with virtues like courage, wisdom, and temperance. As such, this, for Aristotle, was thought to be a happening of happiness due to the regular exercise of these skills as leading to the living of a life that is balanced and filled. It is the case that the one who develops as a generous person feels pleasured when acts of generosity are expressed, and not because such acts carry with them some form of immediate pleasure. It’s more like such acts constitute a deeper sense of purpose and moral character.

Happiness, to Aristotle, is a condition of life over the long-term-based life of virtue and attaining a state of excellence. It is the process of finding an intermediate between deficiency and excess, better understood as the “Golden Mean.” For example, courage has its middle ground between recklessness and cowardice. In making choices that are virtuous over and over again, Aristotle would continue to say, we create for ourselves the life which is truly good and fulfilling.

Hedonism: Pleasure is the Pathway to Happiness -MODERN

Contrary to Aristotle’s emphasis on virtue, hedonism is a philosophical theory locating pleasure as the root of happiness. Hedonists hold the view that the good life is a life replete with as much pleasure and as little pain as possible. Though its roots may be traced to ancient philosophers like Epicurus, during modern times, it has evolved in many ways into the more personal aspects of experience and preference.

The particular form hedonism takes today, or the real hedonism of today, tries in earnest to equate happiness with sensory pleasurable-good food, enjoyment in activities, or material comforts. The line of thinking is straightforward: anything that gives you pleasure therefore contributes to your happiness. From this, hedonists conclude that life is short and one shouldn’t deny oneself anything, so the best way to live a life is by maximizing pleasurable experiences with a minimum of discomfort.

However, critics object that a life wholly given to pleasure can only become superficial and empty. While seeking to maximize pleasure without paying attention to welfare in the long run may result in a lack of satisfying one’s desires and interests, to these regards, philosophers such as John Stuart Mill allowed for a theory of higher and lower pleasures. Mill was arguing that the pleasures of intellect and feeling-great conversation and the production of art, for example-are better than the more simple pleasures of physical feeling because they will provide a deeper and longer-lasting satisfaction.

The Mean Between Virtue and Pleasure: Is There a Middle Way?

The debate between Virtue Ethics and Hedonism seems to beg a key question: Is not the ideal of happiness due to a balancing of living the virtuous life and the search for pleasure? Many contemporary philosophers along with psychologists would say that true happiness is derived through a little from Column A and a little from Column B.

For instance, positive psychology, the relatively new field of research that explores what makes life worth living, is concerned with such categories as well-being, meaning, and life satisfaction. It has been documented that activities which are self-chosen in line with our values and contribute to something larger than ourselves tend to bring more long-lasting happiness compared to passing pleasures. This agrees with Aristotle’s focus on virtue, yet still considers the value of happiness and pleasure one feels throughout life.

Another strong philosophical school that makes a unique contribution to this balance is Stoicism. Happiness, for the Stoics, begins with coming to terms with all the things we cannot change and shifting our focus to that which we can-our thoughts and actions. This philosophy teaches us that while the pleasures of life may enhance an experience, those are not the sources of true happiness, but rather contentment from within flow through inner virtues cultivated by patience, wisdom, and self-control.

Finding Your Path to Happiness: Applying Philosophy in Daily Life

What, then, is the takeaway from all these varied theories regarding our own happiness? Certainly not a single point that fits all, but a few main guidelines may help direct us:

1. Practice the Virtues: Following Aristotle, we can instead strive to develop those virtues of our choosing that are in harmony with our values. For example, the more we practice kindness, honesty, and resilience, the more whole we are likely to feel.

2. Pursue More Intense Pleasures: Thus, the hedonist will have to work toward finding pleasures that create a longer-term satisfaction than a short-term one. Activities which make our mind work, which allow creativity or which allow contact with other human beings create a life that is more eventful and meaningful.

3. The Stoics indeed support the notion that one should learn to appreciate what they currently have. It is a philosophy based on self-control over the mind and body; hence, it is indeed possible for one to be contented and satisfied with life’s meager things. Happiness in view is perceived through mindfulness and reflection of oneself.

4. Hedonism versus Meaning: Possibly, the key to true happiness is to balance the pursuit of pleasure with a sense of purpose. One should enjoy life’s pleasures but equally strive for something bigger than ourselves, personal growth, community involvement, leaving a positive legacy.

Conclusion: What Constitutes a Good Life?

After all, however, what a good life constitutes, that is left to the strict domain of a person. Aristotle’s virtue ethics, modern hedonism, the balanced approaches of positive psychology, and Stoicism bring their respective treasure troves with them; the question is, which one resonates in our heart and which is our choice. And that’s not all: be it the path of virtues, the way of pleasure, or a judicious combination of both, the road to happiness is an infinite process of investigation in arriving at a complete life.

Accordingly, the good life is not of destination but process-a process of living with deliberateness, of cultivating one’s strengths, and embracing pleasures and pains. By drawing on the resources of these traditions, each of us can create for ourselves our own way of happiness and, in so doing, create for ourselves an authentic and fulfilling life.

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