Analysis Of Richard Taylor's Virtue Ethics

Improved Essays
In Virtue Ethics, the author Richard Taylor goes into deep detail when explaining the basis of happiness involving pleasures. Taylor felt that most people were not interested in finding out what happiness truly is because in their minds there is already an idea of what it entails. Because people are so unwilling to examine their own misconception of happiness, they often look to pleasures as a form of happiness. They may seem the same as so many links happiness and pleasures together but they are ultimately different. Happiness is complicated because of all that it takes to reach this end. There may be times when you are happy and can also be unhappy but either way you will go through trials and tribulations to meet the goal of happiness. This is why happiness is considered to be more of a state of one’s mind and not how a person may feel. External goods encompass vast feelings and can maneuver from one feeling to another whereas, happiness is just that or unhappiness. Taylor talks much about these external goods which are things such as wealth, fame and glory that are all a part of happiness. Although he explains that these are a part of happiness he emphasizes that they do not outline a happy or good life. He explains in detail that although these components in external goods are necessary in shaping a happy life, they do not have the power it takes to make a happy …show more content…
As mentioned, in my view happiness as well as unhappiness occurs moment to moment in life with each accomplishment, downfall, disappointment or enjoyment. An example of happiness occurring moment to moment in life would be the birth of a new born baby. This happiness of witnessing a new birth is a happiness that we can and mostly experience before the end of life. An example of unhappiness would be experiencing the death of a loved one. This is an unhappiness which we can also experience before the end of

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Instead, it will block you from finding true pleasures. Grant asserts that happiness is not measured in its amount, but in its frequency. Tom, who was aiming his happiness by seeking out a better career and a best culture to fit in. Tom ended up feeling depressed and unsatisfied. Grant examined tom’s case.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Happiness is something that can be defined differently, depending on who you ask, in the story Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Three main characters that defined happiness differently were Montag, Clarisse and Granger. Even though each character’s idea of happiness was different they all found happiness in trying to recover the old government, where books were legal. Montag is one of the main characters and he finds happiness in trying to overthrow the firehouse by planting books in them, and also by not taking part in the firehouse’s activities any longer. This was proven when Montag said, “it’s only a step from not going to work today to not work tomorrow, to not working at the firehouse ever again” (61).…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the essay, “In Pursuit of Happiness” by Mark Kingwell, the author references John Ralston Saul, a “contemporary critic,” (Kingwell). In the text, Kingwell mentions Saul’s notion that nowadays happiness is more commonly represented by a person’s wealth or “material comfort”. Saul’s statement is true; think about all the convenience or luxury items a person will buy during their lifetime. Today in the age of technology, many people are comforted in the fact that their new touchscreen phone is waterproof, scratch resistant, and for an added measure, protected with the longest lasting insurance plan.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Finally, we have to reach that emotional self-fulfillment to be entirely happy. In the end it isn’t material things or pleasure that push us to happiness but ourselves and our fulfillment. In Daniel Haybron’s Happiness and Its Discontents he jumps into the meaning of what happiness…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Happiness is a word that is seen in a multitude of different ways by a multitude of different people. Everyone has their own idea of what happiness means to them, but it is a word that has no set definition. The author of “Happiness and Its Discontents”, Daniel Haybron views happiness as an entire emotional spectrum that is affected by several factors such as life satisfaction and being exposed to both pain and pleasure. Whereas Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener the authors of “Can Money Buy Happiness”, describe happiness as the emotion someone feels when they obtain an object they believe will improve their life and can be acquired within their means. An example of this would be the joy someone might feel when they are able to buy a car…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Why do we as humans do what we do? Is there an explanation for our actions? What exactly are our actions and what goes into those actions? All of these questions can be answered and it all comes down to the point of happiness. Through text such as “Human Fulfillment” by David Cloutier, Moral Theology True Happiness and the Virtues by William C. Mattison, and “On Free Choice of the Will” by Augustine we will find answers and examples to these questions.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    What is “happiness” and how is it obtained? The word “happiness” is defined as ‘a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy’. The decisions people make on a day-to-day basis are to reach the ultimate goal of being happy. While everyone strives to obtain happiness, not everyone succeeds. In today’s society, happiness seems to be directly correlated with factors such as wealth or status.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    We have all heard the saying, “Money can’t buy happiness.” But if this is true, why do we devote our lives to the pursuit of wealth? Psychologists, philosophers, and countless others have proposed numerous theories for what factors actually lead to happiness, and whether or not material wealth generates happiness. For example, some believe happiness comes purely from one’s mindset, while others believe behaviors and actions bring about happiness, and some believe a significant portion of happiness is genetic. Nevertheless, experts and ordinary people alike continue to debate the question of how much material wealth contributes to happiness.…

    • 1762 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is because as a child I didn’t have everything I always wanted but yet I was content with my situation because I learned to make the best of my situations. Now after reading the book I have a deeper understanding as to why this myth is completely false and why. Especially when it comes to money and being able to adjust to a situation and not letting it get the best of me. Therefor happiness isn't determined by external circumstances, it’s determined by how you view the…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages

    […] People become happy, in other words, when they get what they want. (Smith, E., 2013) For those who eventually “reach” happiness, they end up discovering that happiness is fleeting. Those who have meaning in their life, despite not always being happy necessarily, tend to go through life not feeling as “empty” or…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    In philosophy there are many stands to take when it comes to a view of topic shared and discovered by many. Specifically, there are three philosophers that have differing ideas on the role of pleasure in morality, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. They share and clarify their positions through a plethora of titles and information that will help a reader gain a better understanding of the role of pleasure in morality. Though each philosopher has their own share of ideas of what the highest good represents, they all believe in morality being the search for the highest good. Aristotle begins with his description of happiness as fulfillment of all desires, in accordance with compliance of virtue.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It can in fact be found in any daily activities, such as taking a walk and smelling roses. The people we see as happy in our culture today, are also rich, have a loving family, and a great job. In The Spectator Magazine article “Pleasure vs Happiness,” by Roger Scruton, Scruton uses many different rhetorical strategies in order to bring to the reader’s attention the issue of our society constantly mistaking and choosing pleasure over happiness.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    My take on happiness deals more with perspective and the basic goods. Meaning, we live in a world where approximately 3.1 million children die from hunger each year (worldhunger.org). The simple fact that my myself and family do not have to worry about where our next meal is coming from is a blessing which keeps me happy. Therefore, knowing that I’m in a good place in the world and knowing that I have the basic things to survive like food, water, and shelter, keep me happy. One could say that I was lucky to have been born in a country that offers so much.…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scientifically, happiness is satisfaction, positive feelings, and a lack negative feelings (Porter 459). Most of us can agree with this statement and acknowledge that they feel the most happiness in these conditions, but what exactly is happiness? “For if happiness is what people strive for, one needn’t waste time trying to figure out what makes people happy. One must only look at what people do” (Porter 460). We choose to work and make money to benefit our happiness.…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As stated by Yuuki Asuna, “Life isn’t just doing things for yourself. It’s possible to live in such a way that other people’s happiness, makes you happy too.” Doing something for oneself is selfish and pointless. Happiness has been pursued by the people who come to America, wanting the American dream, to be happy and get what they want. Not being happy even have a negative connotation to it.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics