Aristotle (384BC-322BC) was a Greek philosopher who is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers in the history of western philosophy and science. One of his most influential works is the Nicomachean Ethics, where he puts forward a theory of happiness that is still pertinent today. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was a British philosopher who has had a considerable influence on contemporary moral and political philosophy. Both Aristotle and John Stuart Mill develop their ethical theories around the search for the highest good. They both agree on happiness being the highest good. These two philosophers see eye to eye on one aspect of happiness. For them, to attain true happiness, men should engage in activities that are distinct to humans.
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If we follow Aristotle’s description of happiness, everyone would be virtuous and therefore happy. But this whole conception of virtuosity of character and happiness is flawed since many people in society do things that are not virtuous and are out of balance and proportion. And what might be virtuous to some might not be virtuous to others. So who is to say what virtue exactly is? For instance, Hitler gained happiness by killing thousands of innocent Jews during the Holocaust. John Stuart Mill’s idea of happiness would also not work in today’s functioning society, even though it sounds good in theory. His belief was that anyone could do anything they want if it had a positive outcome for the society as a whole. If we implement this idea in society today, it would not work. For instance, a deadly virus breaks out in a town and the townspeople need to be quarantined and isolated or even killed so that it doesn’t spread to other places for the greater good. But this would not be possible in today’s society due to the various restrictions imposed by the various state and international laws. Although Aristotle and John Stuart Mill have different conceptions of happiness, they agree on one point and that is happiness being the highest
If we follow Aristotle’s description of happiness, everyone would be virtuous and therefore happy. But this whole conception of virtuosity of character and happiness is flawed since many people in society do things that are not virtuous and are out of balance and proportion. And what might be virtuous to some might not be virtuous to others. So who is to say what virtue exactly is? For instance, Hitler gained happiness by killing thousands of innocent Jews during the Holocaust. John Stuart Mill’s idea of happiness would also not work in today’s functioning society, even though it sounds good in theory. His belief was that anyone could do anything they want if it had a positive outcome for the society as a whole. If we implement this idea in society today, it would not work. For instance, a deadly virus breaks out in a town and the townspeople need to be quarantined and isolated or even killed so that it doesn’t spread to other places for the greater good. But this would not be possible in today’s society due to the various restrictions imposed by the various state and international laws. Although Aristotle and John Stuart Mill have different conceptions of happiness, they agree on one point and that is happiness being the highest