In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle did the most important study of personal morality and the various potential paths one can make in life. Through this essay I will discuss his conception of the highest good. What exactly is the “highest good”? Why does he think that the highest good exists? Why does he think that happiness—and not something else—is the highest good? How does he ultimately define happiness, and how is it related to moral virtue? Why do I think his point of view of happiness is adequate?
Aristotle’s concept of the highest good is when something fulfills is functionality, for instance the function of a knife is to cut, therefore a good knife should cut well; the function of an eye is to see, therefore a good eye should see …show more content…
This means that the solution to any problem is inside of us and the answer is our mind. If we use it wisely we can achieve anything we want. The happiness that Aristotle explained is not necessarily the same that we would think of life today. Nowadays, our view of happiness tends to be inconsistent. We want to feel good immediately and tend not to think too far ahead. So, we try to get from instant gratification from pleasant activities as a quick route to happiness. For example, getting a new car will give me a pleasure, but not happiness, because if the car catches on fire an hour later I would be sad. The real happiness doesn’t depend on the external world. My happiness should be able to stand alone by itself without external influence. Also a child can’t be qualified to be happy person, because happiness is a concept that children can’t understand. A child’s happiness is purely based on the materiel world; if you give them a toy, you provide them pleasure, not …show more content…
This end of human life could be called happiness (or living well), of course it’s not the ordinary notions of pleasure, wealth, and honor, since even individuals who acquire the material goods or achieve intellectual knowledge may not be happy. For example I cannot state that Albert Einstein was an happy person, he achieved intellectual knowledge but at some point in his life In November 1954, five months before his death, Einstein summarized his feelings about his role in the creation of the atomic bomb: "I made one great mistake in my life... when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some justification - the danger that the Germans would make them." (Clark, pg. 752).at this point I can say that real “Happiness” for modern time is pride, you must be able to do any action and be prideful without any external honor as long as you are proud of yourself and the external world cannot influence your happiness. This can be related to what Aristotle said: a happy person will exhibit a personality appropriately balanced between reasons and desires, with moderation characterizing all. In this sense, at least, "virtue is its own reward." True happiness can therefore be attained only through the
Aristotle’s concept of the highest good is when something fulfills is functionality, for instance the function of a knife is to cut, therefore a good knife should cut well; the function of an eye is to see, therefore a good eye should see …show more content…
This means that the solution to any problem is inside of us and the answer is our mind. If we use it wisely we can achieve anything we want. The happiness that Aristotle explained is not necessarily the same that we would think of life today. Nowadays, our view of happiness tends to be inconsistent. We want to feel good immediately and tend not to think too far ahead. So, we try to get from instant gratification from pleasant activities as a quick route to happiness. For example, getting a new car will give me a pleasure, but not happiness, because if the car catches on fire an hour later I would be sad. The real happiness doesn’t depend on the external world. My happiness should be able to stand alone by itself without external influence. Also a child can’t be qualified to be happy person, because happiness is a concept that children can’t understand. A child’s happiness is purely based on the materiel world; if you give them a toy, you provide them pleasure, not …show more content…
This end of human life could be called happiness (or living well), of course it’s not the ordinary notions of pleasure, wealth, and honor, since even individuals who acquire the material goods or achieve intellectual knowledge may not be happy. For example I cannot state that Albert Einstein was an happy person, he achieved intellectual knowledge but at some point in his life In November 1954, five months before his death, Einstein summarized his feelings about his role in the creation of the atomic bomb: "I made one great mistake in my life... when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some justification - the danger that the Germans would make them." (Clark, pg. 752).at this point I can say that real “Happiness” for modern time is pride, you must be able to do any action and be prideful without any external honor as long as you are proud of yourself and the external world cannot influence your happiness. This can be related to what Aristotle said: a happy person will exhibit a personality appropriately balanced between reasons and desires, with moderation characterizing all. In this sense, at least, "virtue is its own reward." True happiness can therefore be attained only through the