Aristotle's Philosophy of Happiness: Defining the Final Good

The Philosophical Pursuit of Happiness

Despite single parenthood, when parents return to mate, they live in one pluriparental family. The family has changed but not disappeared.

Aristotle's View: Happiness as the Final Good

The concept of The Good as Happiness, championed by the philosopher Aristotle, posits that happiness is the main objective of all existence. It is the last good that may exist, which is desirable in itself, and always chosen for its own sake and never for the sake of something else. Happiness is self-sufficient because the final good must be sufficient in itself. Happiness consists in the intelligence of the individual acting according to virtue; it is decided and thought out.

External Requirements for Contemplation

Aristotle assumes that for an individual to engage in contemplative activity, they must have sufficient external assets, a family hosting them, and a moderate character.

False Goods: Pleasure, Honor, Fame, Wealth, and Power

A majority identified the good with pleasure and a voluntary love of life. Aristotle, however, analyzed several common misconceptions about happiness:

• The Illusion of Pleasure: Aristotle believes that delight causes bodily pleasure, but pleasure is not the perfect good for man when compared with the real good of the soul.
• Honor and Excellence: Others point to honor. Happiness is the prize for virtue, and honor seems to be the reward for it. Honor is given to someone who possesses some excellence; therefore, honor is a result of happiness, not happiness itself.
• Fame and Eternity: Happiness may consist in fame because through it, men somehow reach eternity. But fame may be false and lack self-consistency.
• Wealth and Affection: The possession of wealth can produce happiness. Riches exert strong control over the affections of man.
• Power and Anxiety: Happiness may consist in the possession of power, which is not perfect because wealth is incapable of banishing anxiety, concerns, or avoiding the stings of fear. Power can be used for good and for evil.

Happiness in Modern Contexts

The Right to Happiness: US Declaration

The concept of The Right to Happiness: The U.S. Declaration of Independence recognizes that the state must guarantee minimum conditions for us to achieve happiness. We cannot leave the accomplishment of happiness solely to the individual, given that government welfare is paramount.

Psychological Confirmation and Relationships

Psychology confirms this same intuition: the degree of satisfaction with one's very existence is not dependent on storing objects in our home, but on establishing good interpersonal relationships within the context of loving family and friends. If professional improvement and increasing bank accounts detract from this context, they would be clearly dispensable. Individualism and loneliness are two sources of psychological distress.