Happiness and Pleasure: Two Philosophical Traditions

Posted on Dec 1, 2024 in Philosophy and ethics

The Aristotelian Tradition

Happiness as the Ultimate Goal

Aristotle considered happiness the ultimate goal for human nature. We all inevitably want to be happy. Reason must channel our desires and aspirations, guiding us towards those that lead to happiness.

The Prudent Person

The prudent person considers what is best for their entire life when making a choice. They weigh the potential goods and establish a hierarchy, aiming for the greatest good in life. Prudent individuals always propose good ends and use their skills to find the good. A wise person masters other arts by applying moral principles to individual cases.

Knowing how to apply these principles requires caution because each case is unique. Prudence helps us discern which desires should be satisfied (those that bring true happiness) and to what extent.

The Middle Ground

To make sound choices, we must rely on virtues. Aristotle believed courage is a mean between recklessness and cowardice. Prudence helps us find the appropriate mean, which constitutes virtue. This is not a simple arithmetic mean, but the mean that is suitable for each individual.

Acquiring Prudence

Training is necessary to acquire prudence:

Knowledge and Memory: Prudence is based on experience. Recalling past lessons improves our lives. Memory is the art of preserving memories for future use.
Instruction: Learning the most appropriate means in each case. Wise individuals study and learn from others.
Circumspection: Considering the largest possible number of circumstances when making a decision. This involves sharpening the ability to foresee the future, as decisions are often made under uncertainty.

Learning to Choose Well

Choosing what we truly want involves developing our innate qualities. This includes choosing a profession that aligns with our capabilities, as well as selecting friends, leisure activities, political affiliations, and religious beliefs.

The Hedonistic Tradition

Pleasure as the Goal

This tradition rests on three points:

All living beings seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Happiness is organizing our lives to maximize pleasure.
Calculating reason helps us determine how to achieve more pleasure.

Individual and Social Hedonism

Epicurean hedonism is individualistic. However, modern hedonism takes a social form known as utilitarianism. It posits that humans possess social feelings like sympathy and concern for others. The principle of morality becomes the greatest happiness (pleasure) for the greatest number of beings. This has significant social implications, particularly for the concept of the welfare state.

The Calculating Reason

Epicurus distinguishes between stable pleasures (harmony from the absence of pain) and positive pleasures (joy). Stable pleasures are considered superior.

Jeremy Bentham introduced an arithmetic of pleasure, where all pleasures are equal in quality, differing only in quantity.

John Stuart Mill argued that pleasures differ in quality, with some being higher and others lower.