Aristotle (384-322 BC) addressed human flourishing in his work, “Nicomachean Ethics.” The key idea of “Nicomachean Ethics” is that the goal of human life should be happiness (in Greek “eudaimonia).”
For Aristotle, happiness means “leading the good life” or “flourishing.” It means that the concerned person has attained steady, overall well-being, not just a fleeting pleasure.
According to “Nicomachean Ethics,” eudaimonia requires cultivating intellectual and moral virtues day after day.
What did Aristotle mean by “intellectual virtues”? He meant wisdom and understanding developed through education and reflection. On the other hand, moral virtues such as courage, generosity and justice are acquired through regular practice.
In order to flourish, you should embrace virtue and calibrate your behaviour. Aristotle defined virtues as the “golden mean” between too extremes. For example, the virtue of courage is a mid-point between the vices of recklessness and cowardice. It takes care and determination to find the virtuous middle point.
If you strike the right balance, said Aristotle, you will enjoy a virtuous and flourishing life; happiness will be yours because it is a direct consequence of virtue.
The role of purpose in human flourishing and success
The Aristotelian theory of happiness is based on action from beginning to end. It requires the subject to define goals, weigh alternatives, discard evil and laziness, and do what is right.
The recommendations given by Aristotle need to be grasped and practised. In order to attain happiness is not sufficient to sit down and meditate. It is not enough to wait for events to take place. You’ll need to place yourself in the driving seat and choose the right direction.
In his metaphysics, Aristotle emphasized that every creature has a purpose (“telos” in Greek). In the case of plants, animals, and natural phenomena, we are talking about simple goals such as finding food, reproducing, or flowing downwards (like the water in rivers). For humans, the goal is eudaimonia.
How do you achieve happiness according to Aristotle? He recommended to live in accordance to nature and develop one’s potential. Human beings cannot attain happiness by remaining static.
Mentally healthy individuals long for challenges, adventure and excitement. They enjoy life more intensely when they are pursing great goals and overcoming difficulties. It’s essential to human nature to define and pursue ambitions goals.
Nonetheless, Aristotle recognized the crucial role played by social relationships in human happiness; that’s because humans are social beings and self-actualization usually requires plenty of social interaction,
For Aristotle, an ideal society must allow citizens to flourish by letting them free to pursue their initiatives. On the contrary, all types of totalitarian governance (tyranny, oligarchy, mob rule) will prevent citizens from attaining happiness.
For what concerns success (wealth, friendships, popularity, etc.) the recommendations given by the “Nicomachean Ethics” are similar to those given for happiness.
The role of virtue in human flourishing and success
Aristotle regarded the daily practice of virtue (courage, self-control, temperance, persistence, justice, benevolence, etc.) as the key to success. He acknowledged the difficulty of staying on the path of virtue, and advised constant practice. Virtues are habits that need to be consolidated and refined day by day.
In contrast to Plato (428-348 BC), Aristotle did not consider contemplation as a prerequisite of happiness. You need to think for yourself and make good choices, but this doesn’t mean that you should devote endless hours to prayer and day-dreaming.
Setting challenging, interesting goals for oneself is essential for achieving happiness. There can be no eudaimonia without a clear objective that one pursues across time and that leads us to develop our potential.
Aristotle’s theory of happiness is “teleological” because it is based on the pursuit of goals (“telos”). Modern psychology has adopted the Aristotelian idea of happiness and aims at helping men and women to develop their potential.
The Aristotelian idea of virtue is profoundly goal-directed. I can understand that some people find Aristotelian philosophy too harsh, but it’s drawn from reality, not from speculation.
Practising virtue “for its own sake” is unintelligible to those who have embraced Aristotelian philosophy. For us, the goal of virtue is happiness here and now, not in the afterlife.
In addition to “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle also wrote a shorter treatise on ethics titled “Eudemian Ethics.” The advice provided in both works is consistent, but “Eudemian Ethics” is placing more emphasis on the material factors (wealth, health) that facilitate the achievement of happiness.
The role of friendship in human flourishing and success
“Nicomachean Ethics” gives more detailed and consolidated recommendations, and must have been written around 325 BC. Aristotle says literally that “happiness depends on ourselves,” meaning that it depends on our goals and daily steps to achieve them.
In the “Eudemian Ethics,” Aristotle makes a detailed study of the virtues that one should practise in order to flourish. Most of those (courage, self-discipline, temperance) can be practised by a person on his own. Only a few (benevolence, generosity) are social virtues, but their primary goal is let individuals enjoy the joys of friendship.
For Aristotle, social virtues do not revolve around putting other people first, but about developing friendship, cooperation and mutually advantageous trade.
Friendship plays a central role in the Aristotelian conception of human flourishing, but should not be regarded as random. It sometime stems from random acquaintances; in other cases, it grows slowly in daily social interactions.
True friendship presupposes shared values and interests. It’s not something that you can purchase with money or force upon people; friendships are built on mutual appreciation of virtuous character, and should cease when people stop practising virtue.
As accelerators of flourishing, Aristotle mentions education and reflection. The more you know, the better choices you will make. Good choices tend to compound their effects over time, and the opposite can be said of bad choices: their damage tends to grow worse as time goes by.
“Nicomachean Ethics” doesn’t offer a naïve, unrealistic idea of happiness. Aristotle is not promising instant results, but tells you that virtue will deliver positive results over time. Instead of seeking fleeting pleasures, it encourages to define ambitious goals and pursue them determinedly.
If you are interested in putting Aristotelian principles into practice on a daily basis, I recommend you my book “The 10 Principles of Rational Living.”
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