Aristotle and happiness as the ultimate goal of human life

We all want to be happy, but what is happiness? Aristotle already thought about it centuries ago and in this article we are going to review some of the conclusions he reached.

In Nicomachean Ethics builds his theory about happiness and the good life. This work belongs to ethics, a branch of philosophy that asks questions such as: what is evil? What is good? How can we act correctly? How can we have a happy life despite the vicissitudes of existence?

On this occasion we will immerse ourselves in Aristotle’s ethics: a line of thought that is still valid today.

What is happiness according to Aristotle?

Happiness is a central concept in Aristotle’s ethics. In his work Nicomachean Ethicsthe philosopher argues that happiness is the ultimate goal of human life. What do you want to tell us with this?

All human action is composed of means and ends. For example, if our goal is to eat (we are hungry), then the means will be all those actions we take to satisfy our need. They can be thinking about what we want to eat, what ingredients we need, buying them, cooking, etc.

However, According to Aristotle, there is a ultimate goal in human life. This means that there is a point to which the set of means and ends that we have carried out throughout our lives points. If we ask an elderly person if his life is happy, his answer will include all those actions that he has carried out throughout his existence.

It is important to highlight that for Aristotle, young people cannot aspire to happiness as the philosopher proposes, since It is only possible to access it through practice and experience. Children and young people are in a previous stage, where learning dominates; The more experience they accumulate, the closer they will be to achieving happiness, understood as the ultimate goal of life.

For Aristotle, happiness is possible through practice and experience.

Virtue and happiness in Aristotle

Virtue in Aristotle is another important concept, since by aspiring to it we can achieve happiness. Virtue understands the optimal or excellent performance of a function or action.. And these actions are the habits of our character, that is, they are those actions that form us as virtuous people. Only these habits of character can be considered good or bad.

Therefore, according to Aristotle, Happiness is a state of complete well-being that is achieved through the practice of virtue. It is complete because only it is needed for life to have value in itself.

Virtue is achieved through practice and habit, that is, it is an exercise. Aristotle says that we are not born virtuous, but rather we become virtuous.. Therefore, for the philosopher, happiness is not something that is achieved casually, but is the result of constant and sustained effort.

Ethical virtues and happiness in Aristotle

The ethical virtues, that is, the excellence of our character, are in a continuous tension between will and reason. We must not forget that for Aristotle the function of man that differentiates him from other species is reason or thought. But We know that we are not only beings endowed with intelligence, but that we also have desires or passions..

For this reason, it is important to highlight the role of habit in the path of ethical virtues and happiness, since in one sitting we will not forge virtuous actions or character. So, reason must regulate desires to achieve virtue. How do we achieve it? Through another concept of Aristotle: the midpoint or median.

Midpoint and the achievement of happiness

Aristotle maintains that virtue is the balance between two extremes. Excellence of character is achieved when the correct harmony is found between these extremes, which one is for excess and the other is for defect. For example, moderation is the midpoint or balance between its excess, which is debauchery, and its defect, which is deprivation.

The more we strive to have a balanced character, the closer we will get to the middle point and avoid extremes. Only through the implementation of actions can we learn and acquire ethical virtues.that is, if we want to be just, we must do just acts.

Will and choice: the path to happiness

Aristotle considers that the actions that count are those that people perform in full use of his freedom and complete knowledge of the circumstances in which he develops. If someone does something forced or under duress, that action is not morally relevant.

On the other hand, in addition to habit, how is the middle or median point based? Through choice, which is the result of deliberation or reflection. Here again the means and ends play an important role, since for a certain purpose the best means to achieve it are evaluated. Thinking like this, it can be considered as an action plan, which as a whole takes us along the path to happiness.

On the path to happiness, will and freedom are important.

Community and happiness according to Aristotle

Aristotle maintains that happiness is not something that can be achieved in isolation, but rather it is a integral part of a life well lived in community. Therefore, the happiness of the whole matters, not just the happiness of the isolated individual. Virtue is essential to live in harmony with others, and Happiness is achieved when you live in a virtuous community.

So much so that currently the investigations of the Nicomachean Ethics to think about how Aristotle’s philosophy can help us think not only about community, but also education. Because, as mentioned before, The happiness of the isolated individual is not as important as the happiness of the community..

Therefore, commitment to an education of virtues in which prudence predominates as the predominant virtue.

Well, for Aristotle, Happiness is the ultimate goal of human life and is achieved through the practice of virtue. Virtue is achieved through practice and habit; Furthermore, rational and intelligent choices for the execution of ends shape a virtuous character. Along these same lines, happiness is defined as a state of balance and mediocrity, added to the fact that it is essential to live in harmony in a virtuous community.

This explanation is probably far from the current, somewhat impatient, concept of happiness. For some it may be about obtaining material goods, for others the avoidance of certain sensations, such as pain.

As we have seen, Aristotle has his own idea of ​​happiness, and although it has been a few years since he formulated it, we can consider it and include from it what we want, whatever makes us happier, in our own definition of happiness.

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