Happiness in Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics”

Happiness is a sufficient and perfect that of human beings. Aristotle argues that there are different lives people tend to consider happiness. The types of lives stated by Aristotle include the life of political action, the life of money-making and gratification, and contemplation or philosophical life study. People appreciate all these lives for different reasons and purposes. However, a purposefully lived life needs to achieve a definitive objective ending. A life of gratification constitutes enjoyment and the creation of leisure, comfort, and pleasure in their lives. Life of joy and gratification, thus, is solely centered on personal reputation in different life circumstances. It is generally a life whose ending seeks pleasure and comfort in enjoying things like wealth. The political life is a life that people consider complete and sufficient to find honor in the face of other people, like at the workplace.

Many people who believe in political happiness pursue honor life for their good to be seen as good at every rate. The life of contemplation is considered a life worth constructed from reason. It is a philosophical study of life with a more enlightening purpose. I have no patience in a life of gratification and money-making, even though it is undeniable that everyone is pleased with a happy life. I believe contemplative life is a complete and sufficient good for human beings as happiness in life. Contemplation life is vital in unleashing achievement in the entire individual whole lives, wealth, good health, friends, and knowledge that promote the enrichment of human life and perfectionism in human nature.

Aristotle understood human beings in the manner of their functioning. Human beings are presupposed to act in virtue, intelligence, and morality to realize their sole preference for happiness. Thus, the nature of human beings is based on working with reason to exercise and possess intellectual and moral virtue in our lives. Aristotle’s philosophical commonplace distinguishes the nature of humans from animals and plants by reason. Human beings are rational creatures that function as a differentiating aspect between human nature and plants and animals.

Aristotle defines happiness as achievement through the progress of an entire lifetime, health, comfort, knowledge, wealth, and friends. These aspects are meant to perfect and enrich our lives of happiness. However, to achieve this presupposes we make nuanced decisions and which are often very challenging. Aristotle’s ethics of his argument infers a life of contemplation or philosophy study as the highest intellectual degree of happiness. A contemplative life is propagated by reason as a distinguishing factor between human beings and animals. Hence, the exercise of contemplation creates a sense of virtue in the life of a man.

Human nature is a factor of functioning that is controlled by reason. The definitive nature of human beings is supposed to make the purpose of the end achievement in their lives. The nature of human beings helps in determining the degree of happiness created around men. Happiness is born of a correlation between reason and virtue and not pleasurable measures. Exercise of virtue brings about happiness and connectedness like human beings. The rational nature of a man makes it easier to exercise his reason to obtain happiness. Therefore, the acquisition of happiness depends on developing a moral character that displays desirable virtues in an individual’s life. I agree with Aristotle’s account that human beings are specially created in nature, showcasing the distinguishing characteristics of plants and animals in happiness and flourishing. They are rational by the sense of reason in achieving happiness by enriching nature and perfection in life.

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StudyCorgi. "Happiness in Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics”." November 5, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/happiness-in-aristotles-nicomachean-ethics/.

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StudyCorgi. 2022. "Happiness in Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics”." November 5, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/happiness-in-aristotles-nicomachean-ethics/.

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