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The Good

Life
Module 7
Happiness and the Good Life

Human flourishing is always associated


with happiness.
Aristotle believes that happiness must just
be another term for good, since happiness,
like good, is “the fulfillment of our distinctive
function.”
To attain happiness, it is necessary to
act what is in congruence with Right
Reason.

That is why there is a need to develop


moral virtues through good habits
because the practice of these perfects the
rational part of our soul.
The Golden Mean and the Practice of
Virtue
The rational soul must be in control of
the humans’ appetite and passion in order for
these lower parts not to control our actions.

The proper way for the rational soul to


intervene is through the effort to practice
virtuous ways which is the middle ground of
both the extremes.

E.g. the virtue of temperance


Our body has a certain wisdom to
signal us in our intake when is enough,
enough.

However, the mean is different from


person to person. Each individual has a
relative need with the consideration of
the circumstances.
In terms of food, the need of a child is less
compared to the need of an adult who labors
physically in the farm.

Moreover, there are acts that are naturally evil not


in their excess or deficiency but in themselves. Acts
like stealing, adultery and envy are bad in themselves
regardless of the circumstances
The practice of moral virtue is the practice of
habits that makes us take the middle ground and
the avoidance of evil acts like adultery and
stealing.
These acts plus “generosity, good temper,
friendship, and self-respect” lead us to be better
and live a good life. The happy man lives a most
pleasant life and it is no wonder that people like
to live like the happy man.
Aristotle reminds us that though we may have the
moral capacity but it is not a guarantee that we cannot
go wrong.

There are so much possibilities in life that even


our potential goodness may be set aside.

He gives an example of a seedling which has the


potential to be a tree. Under different circumstances,
the seedling may perish earlier not achieving into a
full-grown tree but it can never be robbed from the
seedling the potential to become a tree.
In our case our nature is
characterized by being rational.
Rationality entails deliberation
and choice. Our potential is
achieved in knowing what to do
and deliberating about it and
choosing to do it.

For Aristotle, it is not


enough to know what is right to
be right. What is right for him is
knowing that it is right and
choosing to do it.
But Aristotle adds that human nature is
not only about rationality.
We have vegetative and appetitive souls.
When we practice virtue and exercise our
rationality we do not deny the other
capacities. We read, feed our spirit and
practice virtues but we do not forget also to
eat and sleep and take care of our body.
The end, goal, purpose (or meaning) of human
life is to live well.

We live a good life by accumulating, over the


course of our lives, all the real goods (not just the
apparent) that correspond to our natural needs.

We increase our chances of having good lives by


cultivating good habits and bit of luck.
The most important moral virtues or habits are
moderation, courage, and justice.

Moderation keeps us from overindulging in


pleasure or seeking too much of the limited goods.
Courage is having the disposition to do what it
takes to live a good life.
Justice is the virtue that allows us to have friends
and enjoy the benefits of cooperation.
Questions to Ponder:
■ What are my desires at the moment? Are they inclined
to the needs of my rational soul? Or to my appetite
and feelings?
■ According to Aristotle, humans should employ all
their capacities both mental and physical to attain the
highest good, do you agree? Why?
■  How do I look at the fast technological
advancements, are they really necessary for the good
life?
Other Perspectives of Living the Good Life
1. Epicureanism

2. Stoicism
3. Others find meaning in living through religion and the faith that there
is a Creator who plans well the universe for humans to enjoy.

The Creator is the beginning of everything and everything should go


back to the Creator.
The good life should be in accordance with the plan of the Creator.

It is the duty of humans to know the ways in which the Creator has
planned everything in order to find peace and live the good life prepared
and planned by the good Creator.

Others live their life in a deistic way, believing that there’s a creator
who created all things but as humans we need to live our life without
depending on this creator.
process is easy
4. Another perspective of living the good life is through humanism.

Humanism focuses on “human dignity, beauty, and potential.”

The development of this thought came when some people in Europe tried
to get away from religion and from what they thought as ancient
superstition.

Those who adhere to humanism focus on reason and have tendency to set
aside faith.

Knowledge can only be accepted as fact when it is proven either


empirically (through experience) or through reason. Man can live a good
life even without religion and the adherence to faith.
For humanists, humans are free to make laws without consideration of
divine commands.

Humans can design their destiny without the thought of grace, without the
guidance from God and without the Church.

One thinker who can be associated with humanism and the enlightenment
era is Francois-Marie Arouet or widely known as Voltaire. He asserted
that human life and its purpose is not to reach heaven through pious
acts and sacrifices but to attain happiness through the progress of
sciences and arts since through sciences and arts humans can attain
what their nature is destined.
Thanks!
Any questions?

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