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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3 page paper discusses Aristotle's concept of the Good Life. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVGoodLf.rtf
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thought to the problem. This paper has two themes: first, it considers Aristotles definition of the good life; second, it poses the question of why not knowing what the good
life is can cause problems. Discussion For Aristotle, in brief, a good life (eudiamonia) is a life in which one is "flourishing or living well and doing well" (Payne). "Flourishing"
is not the same as simply being happy or amused, but encompasses the idea of "functioning well in those ways that are essential and unique to humans" (Payne). The question
under discussion then is: Is Aristotle correct when he says that a good life is more than a happy life, but also implies some sort of specific human activity. Paynes
explication of Aristotle is helpful in understanding his meaning. He writes "Aristotle proposes that ... the good life for humans is to be explicated in terms of the function of
humans" (Payne). A functioning object or thing is one that fulfills its intended purpose well: a "good apple tree is one that produces lots of fruit" and a "good hammer
is one that drives nails well" (Payne). Thus, a good life is one is a "life of functioning well as [a] person" (Payne). But now we must ask, what does
it mean for a person to be functioning well-or in this case, to be functioning to his highest capability? Its more than acquiring wealth, living for pleasure, being honored by
others or being proclaimed virtuous, for none of these is intrinsic to the individual (Payne). Wealth may be accumulated by evil men as well as good; pleasure is distracting and
may lead men away from a good life; honor is a value judgment made by others; and virtue may be had be means of doing nothing-or of suffering greatly (Payne).
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