Aristotle’s Eudaimonia: The Pursuit of Happiness
Eudaimonia
Eudaimonia encompasses notions such as satisfaction and sufficiency, exceeding mere hedonic content. We will explore personal happiness not as an isolated pursuit, but as something achieved in relation to others and citizenship. This concept differs from Plato’s radical view of the polis (public policy and a republican conception of citizenship). Instead, it emphasizes individual growth, which political structures can promote (a liberal conception of citizenship).
Aristotle’s Empirical Review of Eudaimonia
Aristotle examines various conceptions of eudaimonia, ultimately dismissing them. He challenges traditional ethical thought by rejecting the following:
- Pleasure: Pleasure is insufficient for happiness, as it enslaves us rather than liberating us. It is not befitting of human dignity.
- Honor: Finding happiness in the opinions of others makes us their slaves. True honor stems from virtues like generosity and honesty, which are superior and should be the true focus.
- Wealth: Wealth is merely a means to pleasure and honor, thus subject to the same criticisms.
- The Idea of Good: This transcendent model is unsuitable for humans; we need a realistic, immanent model.
Virtue, Excellence, or Arete
Happiness, for humans, is the supreme, readily accessible, immanent, and achievable form of personal growth. It involves developing one’s inherent qualities, true purpose, and highest potential, reflecting Aristotle’s metaphysical conceptions. Virtue is not about resisting sin (as in Christian thought), but about achieving excellence.
What is good in humans? Reason. Therefore, happiness is “the activity of the soul according to reason.” Happiness is the rational life; it is excellence (arete) in the good and virtuous life of those living rationally.
Aristotle doesn’t exclude pleasure, wealth, or other factors, but they must be subordinate to rational activity. An irrational life devoid of pleasure is unhappy, as is a life enslaved by wealth. He acknowledges that slaves, the poor, and women might face limitations in achieving full happiness due to economic dependence or lack of freedom.
Cultivating Virtue
Arete, virtue, or excellence is not innate but acquired through personal responsibility. It involves developing a disposition of the soul, a tendency to behave virtuously. Knowledge alone does not make us virtuous; we must exercise our souls in virtue to achieve excellence. This is a critique of intellectualism.
For example, if a lazy person (Alfonso) starts exercising regularly through habit and willpower, his moral character changes. He becomes diligent and achieves excellence in that area.
Virtue is a tendency of the soul developed through exercise, habit, and willpower. While natural tendencies and circumstances can influence this process, virtue is ultimately learned.