Aristotle on Happiness

“The function of man is to live a certain kind of life, which implies a rational principle,
and the function of a good man is the good and noble performance.” - Aristotle

On his quotes of happiness, according to Aristotle, is the only end or good that
we want for its own sake, and we desire all other ends or goods for the sake of
happiness. Happiness is more than a pleasant feeling of contentment or satisfaction; it
is a human behavior, and one that is interpreted in terms of human function in particular.
Only the rational principle is unique to humans, and a human life must be lived in
accordance with reason in order to be satisfied. Reason and emotion are properly
balanced and harmonized in such a life, and reason serves as the guiding principle.
Since it is the function of all human beings to live a certain kind of existence, and this
life is a soul activity or action meaning a rational principle, the function of good human
beings is to conduct these activities or actions in an excellent and noble performance.

He also meant the happiness is an endeavor of the human soul that is embodied
over a lifetime and is based on perfection and virtue. Happiness, as an ethical goal,
consists not only of moral virtue but also of intellectual virtue, and total happiness is
both a contemplative and a practical pursuit. Aristotle, on the other hand, does not rule
out all common sense notions of happiness. Happiness is not a single event or a single-
moment-in-time experience, but rather a virtue-based pursuit that must be accompanied
by enjoyment, and which cannot be carried out properly without certain external and
internal goods such as wealth, luck, friends, health, knowledge, and so on

To sum it up according to Aristotle, we must first determine the role of a human

being in order to discover the human good. He claims that rational behavior is the most
basic human function. As a result, our good is logical behavior done well, which Aristotle
interprets as virtue-based.