Comparing Eudiamonia In Plato's Crito And Apology

Aristotle emphasizes in his work Nicomachean Ethics the concept of eudaimonia. The idea of eudiamonia encompasses the concept of living a fulfilling and good spirited life, which embodies the premise around human flourishing. It is evident throughout Plato’s works Crito and Apology that Socrates lived a life full of human flourishing. Throughout Crito and Apology Socrates leads a fulfilling life which embodies the idea of human flourishing throughout his life through virtue explained by Aristotle. His teachings were extremely integral to his lifestyle that he chose to reside in the jail and ultimately die rather than to live a life without practicing philosophy. Both works focus on the idea of living a fulfilling life and the virtue that goes hand in hand with this type of lifestyle. In the Apology Plato portraits Socrates as a man who embodies eudiamonia. Despite the title, Socrates does not apologize for these actions. Socrates is so adamant that he did no wrong which in turn leads to him explaining how much philosophy benefits society. His passion for philosophy gives him a sense of fulfillment that fuels his happiness, therefore Socrates does live a human flourishing life. Socrates …show more content…
Aristotle explains “By virtue I mean virtue of character, for this (-- removed HTML --) it is concerned with feelings and actions, and these admit of excess, deficiency and an intermediate condition.” (Aristotle 224). By staying true to himself and sticking with what he stands for, Socrates remained a virtuous person through the actions he took. In turn, Socrates lived a life of eudaimonia due to the self-fulfillment that came with being a virtuous person. Also, Socrates lived a life of human flourishing evident through the way he faced the adversity that came with him standing up for his beliefs. By remaining virtuous through his actions, Socrates led a life of human