Aristotle's Notion of Eudaimonia
According to Aristotle everyone first and foremost wants a eudaimon life, a life in which he does well and fares well. Aristotle thinks there is one good that is sought for not for the sake of anything else: the summum bonum (greatest good). The greatest good is eudaimonia (living well, doing well, flourishing). In the well-ordered personality the parts of will function together under the leadership of the rational element. The goal we all seek is eudaimonia. Eudiamonia is a life of rational activity, informed with Arete (virtue), which is pursued continually. Our ability to achieve eudaimonia depends on us having some power or access to resources in the world. People without power never reach their moral potential. Friendship is necessary to eudaimonia and it is an extension of self-esteem. By virtue of being rational animals we naturally live by a plan or rule. But just as the good life is an activity of reason in relation with excellence,......
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Approximate Word Count: 327
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |