Aristotle explicitly argues that when understanding our primary functions as “rational animals” is followed by applying it in life, it leads to achieving fulfillment and intrinsic happiness (Aristotle, 349 BC). However, Aristotle’s disillusionment on the understanding our human function does not prove to be stable basis in the realistic application of his philosophical views. Tackling this topic will be done by drawing a similarity between Aristotle’s ideologies about the contemplation of rational beings, with Hannah Arendt’s thoughts about the primacy of the contemplative life. The objective will be to prove that the active life is superior and is an essential requirement to the contemplative life; which then proves the impracticality of achieving
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The essential biological needs of breathing, eating, skin exposure and others are elements of what those man-made conditions need to be like. The contemplation condition will differ due to the limited sources as well as the need for leaving traces behind. This could potentially be caused by the exponential decrease of human population in that man-made setting due to the decline of the labor sources. Humans condition themselves to the lack of labor initially before conditioning to the lack of contemplation. Meaning that initially, the priority is the human survival in human conditioning, then comes the rational or the contemplative need for humans. Someone might argue that humans throughout history fulfilled their labor needs, yet in the search for a larger meaning they shed more blood. Contemplative thinking indeed could potentially cause casualties throughout the world due to the pursuit of purpose. On the other hand, there are numerous countries in the world where labor needs are fulfilled without wars or tense inner conflicts. It is even more often that the countries with the lack of labor needs are more probable to be unsafe, due to human’s survival instinct. In other words, this survival instinct is the most essential need for humans to fulfill their biological needs. The high rate crimes in low income countries demonstrates the superiority of the need for labor over the need for contemplation. This superiority connects with the idea that the vita activa is more essential and more required than contemplation to achieve intrinsic goodness and fulfillment; which reveals the weakness in the practicality of Aristotle’s explicit
The essential biological needs of breathing, eating, skin exposure and others are elements of what those man-made conditions need to be like. The contemplation condition will differ due to the limited sources as well as the need for leaving traces behind. This could potentially be caused by the exponential decrease of human population in that man-made setting due to the decline of the labor sources. Humans condition themselves to the lack of labor initially before conditioning to the lack of contemplation. Meaning that initially, the priority is the human survival in human conditioning, then comes the rational or the contemplative need for humans. Someone might argue that humans throughout history fulfilled their labor needs, yet in the search for a larger meaning they shed more blood. Contemplative thinking indeed could potentially cause casualties throughout the world due to the pursuit of purpose. On the other hand, there are numerous countries in the world where labor needs are fulfilled without wars or tense inner conflicts. It is even more often that the countries with the lack of labor needs are more probable to be unsafe, due to human’s survival instinct. In other words, this survival instinct is the most essential need for humans to fulfill their biological needs. The high rate crimes in low income countries demonstrates the superiority of the need for labor over the need for contemplation. This superiority connects with the idea that the vita activa is more essential and more required than contemplation to achieve intrinsic goodness and fulfillment; which reveals the weakness in the practicality of Aristotle’s explicit