Aristotle Viewed The Good Life As One In Which One Is Happy

Aristotle viewed the good life as one in which one is happy meaning doing and living well. Human beings can act rationally and have both needs and wants. These needs and wants are fulfilled by acquiring material wealth. Karl Marx defined a commodity in terms of it having a use value and exchange value. In a capitalist society, commodities are produced using human labor for exchange and, this means only products that must value are exchanged to satisfy human wants. â€Å"A commodity is, therefore, a mysterious thing, simultaneously because in it the social character of men’s labor upon the product of that of labor; because the relation of the producers to the sum of their own labor is presented to them as a social†¦show more content†¦Free markets result in efficiency and economic growth by improving the living standards of its participants. Adam Smith’s argument supports this idea where he suggested that an invisible hand moves the economy into prosperity. He argued that if people can participate in the economy freely, good consequences will follow and if one pursues his own interest, the society gains more effectually than he really intends. However, this may be true, people must keep in mind there are good and bad consequences. Social benefits are usually ignored because people exchange goods and services to benefit oneself. This results in inefficient allocation of resources. Thorstein Veblen argument in relates to how pecuniary emulation is a driving force to how consumers behave. He suggests that people want to accumulate more wealth thus buying more expensive things to become better than other people. Possessing wealth conveys honor (Veblen, 660) and free markets might promote this behavior which becomes problematic. For example, the desire to want more wealth promotes the struggle to possess more than other people thus creating artificial demand and greed since people do more than fulfilling their needs. Inequalities and exploitat ion are likely to arise since demand for goods is created and the rich take advantage of the poor. In addition, John Galbraith states that â€Å"wants depend on the process by which they are satisfied† (Galbraith, 331). This means thatShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Confucius And Confucius1391 Words   |  6 PagesConcept of Friendship according to Aristotle and Confucius. Confucius and Aristotle both examined the concept of friendship. Since they lived in vastly different societies, one would expect that their concepts would be dissimilar. Surprisingly they are also similarities. The two traditions’ thoughts on friendship are from two perspectives, virtue and trustworthiness. There are some similarities between Aristotle and Confucius on the concept of friendship. Both viewed friendship as virtuous and trustworthyRead MoreAristotles Theory of the Good Life968 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Aristotle, the good life is the happy life, as he believes happiness is an end in itself. In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle develops a theory of the good life, also known as eudaimonia, for humans. Eudaimonia is perhaps best translated as flourishing or living well and doing well. Therefore, when Aristotle addresses the good life as the happy life, he does not mean that the good life is simply one of feeling happy or amused. Rather, the good life for a person is the active life of functioningRead MoreThe Well Being Aristotle And Human Happiness1000 Words   |  4 PagesOur Well-Being: Aristotle and Human Happiness What is the purpose of a human being? â€Å"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence† (Nicomachean Ethics). 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He insists that every action performed by humans is to pursue happiness. Aristotle also argues that human action is always aimed at some end or good. This good may not be viewed as a good action or any good by others, but for the doer of the action (good), the activity will be perceived as good and that it will bring a favorable outcome. Aristotle also said that all of our actions resulting in ends or goods form a hierarchyRead MoreEssay about Aristotle and Platos Views on Reality980 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle and Plato were both great thinkers but their views on realty were different. Plato viewed realty as taking place in the mind but Aristotle viewed realty is tangible. Even though Aristotle termed reality as concrete, he stated that reality does not make sense or exist until the mind process it. Therefore truth is dependent upon a person’s mind and external factors. According to Aristotle, things are seen as taking course and will eventually come to a stop when potential is reachedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Nicomachean Ethics By Aristotle1667 Words   |  7 PagesEthics, by Aristotle, Aristotle describes various way of living one’s life, the ultimate goal in life, and how to achieve happiness and live the best life. Aristotle describes three different kinds of lives in Nicomachean Ethics. These three lives consists of the life of honor, the life of pleasure, and the life of study. Aristotle, from the first book, insists that the life of study or contemplation is considered to be the best life. He argues that self-sufficiency is required for the life of studyRead MoreFriendship Is A Strange Concept1732 Words   |  7 Pagestypes of friendships. According to Aristotle there are three different types of friendships and only one of them is the real deal. The Epicureans would view friendship as being something very important in life. To me, friendship is both of these views put together with a few changes here and there. To begin, Aristotle believed that there are three types of friendship. One of those three is a utility friendship. This friendship is based only on one person’s own good, and it is only a means to an endRead MoreWhat Makes People Happy854 Words   |  3 PagesThe Good Life The question of what makes people happy has been an ongoing argument for years. Happiness according to dictionary.com can be defined as the quality or state of being happy. There are two perspectives that focus on answering this question of self-happiness, the hedonic and eudaimonic. The Hedonic view (Subjective well-being) is the perspective of how people experience the quality of their lives. Hedonism is about knowing the fulfillment of pleasure. This type of pleasure is physicalRead MoreThe Notion of the Good in the Ethical Views of Plato and Aristotle1232 Words   |  5 PagesThe Notion of the Good in the Ethical Views of Plato and Aristotle 1. Discuss the notion of the good in the ethical views of Plato and Aristotle. State which of potentiality would lead to normal life. Plato explored such subjects as beauty, justice, and good government. Platos ethics were ethics of happiness. He based his ethical theory on the proposition that all people desire happiness although, of course, people sometimes act in ways that do not produce happiness. Plato believes