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19/441643/FI/04654
ARISTOTLE ON HAPPINESS
Now, if one does this for some time, it soon becomes apparent that some goals are
subordinate to other goals, which are themselves subordinate to yet other goals. For
example, a medical student’s goal may be to qualify as a doctor, but this goal is
subordinate to his goal to heal the sick, which is itself subordinate to his goal to
make a living by doing something useful. This could go on and on, but unless the
medical student has a goal that is an end-in-itself, nothing that he does is actually
worth doing. What, asks Aristotle, is this goal that is an end-in-itself? This ‘supreme
good’, says Aristotle, is happiness.
And of this nature happiness is mostly thought to be, for this we choose always for
its own sake, and never with a view to anything further: whereas honour, pleasure,
intellect, in fact every excellence we choose for their own sakes, it is true, but we
choose them also with a view to happiness, conceiving that through their
instrumentality we shall be happy: but no man chooses happiness with a view to
them, nor in fact with a view to any other thing whatsoever.
Aristotle acknowledges that our good or bad fortune can play a part in determining
our happiness; for example, he acknowledges that happiness can be affected by
such factors as our material circumstances, our place in society, and even our looks.
Yet he maintains that by living our life to the full according to our essential nature as
rational beings, we are bound to become happy regardless. For this reason,
happiness is more a question of behaviour and of habit—of virtue—than of luck; a
person who cultivates such behaviours and habits is able to bear his misfortunes
with balance and perspective, and thus can never be said to be truly unhappy.n
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201301/aristotle-happiness
1. Please find the main argument from each paragraph of this article
Paragraph 1 : For Aristotle, a thing is best understood by looking at its end, purpose, or goal,
one of them is like when him tries to discover what is ‘the supreme good for man’.
Paragraph 2 : some goals are subordinate to other goals on and on, unless the goal is an end-
in-itself, like happiness as a goal of ‘supreme good’.
Paragraph 3 : of this nature happiness, we choose always for its own sake, and not have view
to any other thing whatsoever.
Paragraph 4 : Happiness is understanding the distinctive function of a thing that one can
understand its essence. Thus, is to lead a life that enables us to use and develop our reason,
and that is in accordance with reason.
Paragraph 5 : Yet he maintains that by living our life to the full according to our essential nature
as rational beings, we are bound to become happy regardless
Paragraph 1 : So, according to Aristotle, the way to know the nature of things is to find out what
their purpose is or what they are used for.
Paragraph 2 : So there are some things whose the goals gives birth to other goals. unless the
goal ends by itself, such as happiness as the end of ‘supreme good’.
Paragraph 3 : In this concept of happiness, we are always looking for what makes us happy,
such as pleasure, honor and others, without thinking about other people's sides or other things.
Paragraph 4 : Happiness according to Aristotle earlier is to understand the function and
essence of a thing.
Paragraph 5 : By living life as rational beings, that is, by thinking, we will definitely be happy
even though we are born with bad economic conditions and bad physical appearance.
On the basis of best to understood something is by lookin at its end, purpose or goal,
Aristotle tries to discover what is ‘the supreme good for man’. Although some goals are
subordinate to the other goals, ‘Supreme Good’ has a goal that is an end-in-itself. that is
happiness. happiness here is not solely our own pleasures or honours, but also thinking about
others. Happiness is also not about a concept but an activity and a way of responding. Aristotle
acknowledges that the circumstances we are born with affect our happiness, like material,
place in society, and even our looks. but the way we think about it and how to react to it, we will
definitely bear our misfortunes. For this reason, happiness is more a question of behaviour and
of habit of virtue than just of luck.