The Role Of Eudaimonia In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the existence of a “higher good” is argued, as he assists his claim with the idea that every action in life is the means to an end. Each individual feat is not desired for its own intrinsic value, but for the sake of some other action it may bring upon. Due to this, Aristotle emphasizes the futility of each individual action, focusing on the greater motive above them all: the highest good. This theory of a greatest good is implicitly common, though proving its existence may have different implications. Generally, it appears that there is a collective lacking being experienced by many. Filling this deficiency drives many daily actions, all of which are not completed for their own sake, but according to Aristotle, to attain the greatest good. A modern example of this idea is frequent among many first-generation Americans. Arriving in the US as immigrants, the parents of these Americans had the utmost hope for success in a new country for their families. The degrees from their home …show more content…
A greater question to ponder is whether Eudaimonia is a real or conceptual object, for it is immeasurable; its existence can be neither confirmed nor denied. Within the same spectrum of religion, belief in such attainment solely relies upon faith. In addition, one may ponder the truth behind Aristotle’s theory of Eudaimonia. Are all the actions we do truly in pursuit of greater attainment, or is the human existence essentially meaningless, with futile attempts to put together pieces of a “puzzle” that isn’t even a puzzle in the first place? Constantly bombarded by trivial responsibilities and societal expectations, it is only human nature to hope it is not all in vain, and that with enough determination, one can reach Eudaimonia in the end. Aristotle’s theory that all actions are essentially futile holds truth to an extent, for he may have been lacking an understanding as to