The Nichomachean Conception of Happiness Essay - 1317 Words

Happiness, to Aristotle, is a term for which much exactitude must be made. He understands that, Happiness both the refined and the few call it, but about the nature of this Happiness, men dispute. As such, he goes to great lengths to attain a fairly accurate accounting of what he sees as Happiness. He begins by illustrating that Happiness is an End, establishes what he finds the work of Man to be, sets conditions on being happy, and then explains where in Man the cultivation of Happiness is to be sought. The result of all these ideas is his fully developed sense of Happiness, an understanding vital to his conception of Ethics. Happiness, for Aristotle, is an End in and of itself. For (Happiness) we choose always for its own sake,†¦show more content†¦Aristotle sets many limits on attaining Happiness, due do his understanding of what Happiness is derived from. He sees participation in life as crucial, as, at the Olympic games it is not the finest and strongest men that are cr owned, but those that enter the lists, i.e., one must be a part of life in order to be judged by the standards of living. Aristotle also finds various external goods to be of absolute necessity, including friends, money, and political influence, as they are instruments by which many things are done. In the same case and kind he lists fortunate birth, valued children, and personal appearance. These, too, he thinks are necessary to a complete realization of Happiness. Even the stability of these things#8212;and a persons reputation#8212;after death is considered part of Happiness. Important, I think, is the understanding that these things are not Happiness, but as we see later, the excess or deficiency of these things hinders the fulfillment of Happiness. The last two limitations on Happiness have to do with reason itself. Aristotle finds that it is inconceivable that either animals or children might know Happiness, as their limited faculties prevent them from knowing Happiness fully. Likewise, a balanced personality is necessary to realizing Happiness since, this stability which is sought will be in the happy man, and he will be such through life, since always#8230;he will be doing and contemplating the thingsShow MoreRelatedHappiness Is an Activity Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper I will discuss Aristotle’s claim that happiness is a kind of activity and not a momentary pleasure. Some people might worry that Aristotle is wrong in making this claim by presuming that happiness is a state of mind rather than a constant pursuit in which a person must actively strive for throughout the entirety of ones life. 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