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Ground Theory
Ground Theory
ABM 12-B
Abstract
This study will be about the learning I had after taking up Philosophy. I have
learned about that each philosophers have their own sayings or theories towards
certain things in life. In philosophy, it must be important to relate your self or your
Aristotle’s Theory about happiness, it showed that the happiness we have depends
on us which is ourselves.
I. Introduction
devotes more space to the topic of happiness than any thinker prior to the modern era.
Living during the same period as Mencius, but on the other side of the world, he
draws some similar conclusions. That is, happiness depends on the cultivation of
virtue, though his virtues are somewhat more individualistic than the essentially
social virtues of the Confucians. Yet as we shall see, Aristotle was convinced that a
including physical as well as mental well-being. In this way he introduced the idea of
Essentially, Aristotle argues that virtue is achieved by maintaining the Mean, which
is the balance between two excesses. Aristotle’s doctrine of the Mean is reminiscent of
Buddha’s Middle Path, but there are intriguing differences. For Aristotle the mean
was a method of achieving virtue, but for Buddha the Middle Path referred to a
peaceful way of life which negotiated the extremes of harsh asceticism and sensual
pleasure seeking. The Middle Path was a minimal requirement for the meditative life,
supreme good for man’, that is, what is the best way to lead our life and give it
meaning. For Aristotle, a thing is best understood by looking at its end, purpose, or
goal. For example, the purpose of a knife is to cut, and it is by seeing this that one
best understands what a knife is; the goal of medicine is good health, and it is by
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
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
happiness with a view to them, nor in fact with a view to any other thing
whatsoever.
of a thing that one can understand its essence. Thus, one cannot understand what it
gardener is ‘to tend to a garden with a certain degree of skill’. Whereas human
beings need nourishment like plants and have sentience like animals, their
distinctive function, says Aristotle, is their unique capacity to reason. Thus, our
supreme good, or happiness, is to lead a life that enables us to use and develop our
reason, and that is in accordance with reason. Unlike amusement or pleasure, which
can also be enjoyed by animals, happiness is not a state but an activity. And like
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,
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.
II. Body
understand its essence which was once said by Aristotle. For him, happiness is not a
state but it is an activity. Aristotle also acknowledges that our good or bad fortune
the distinctive function of a thing that one can understand its essence,” it means that
one cannot understand what it is to be gardener for example unless one can
understand that the distinctive function of a gardener is to “to tend to a garden with
that our good or bad fortune can play a part in determining our own happiness
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. I truly believe in his sayings about happiness because I can also
relate my experiences to those sayings. I see many people around me everyday most
especially the security guards in school. In order for me to have my own happiness, I
must understand that they guard the school and students by checking the vehicles
entering the school and checking each and every people entering the campus.
They’re not there just to display themselves but they play an important role in the
society in which their job makes me happy. Another experience of mine is that
sometimes, I cannot avoid to follow a certain behaviour or habit even though I knew
that it is not a good thing to do and so some bad lucks would follow after then.
unhappiness.
We must be responsible of our own happiness. We are the ones who make
our own happiness. Understanding other people for who they are can lead us to
our happiness. Thus, our supreme good, or happiness, is to lead a life that
enables us to use and develop our reason, and that is in accordance with reason.
III. Conclusion
Most of the people view happiness as a state but for Aristotle, it is an activity. An
activity in which we must understand one person with his distinctive skills that
contributes in the society and our own happiness. An activity wherein we must be
could lead us to a life which enables us to use and develop our reason. Happiness is
what completes us human beings without happiness, we would live a life that is full
of sadness and sufferings. A life that is not intended for each and every human
beings because human beings are intended to live their life fully and happily.
Aristotle explained this whole concept of happiness, in short that we must all be
responsible of our happiness because it is us who make or build our own happiness
and no one can take it away from us. For Aristotle, happiness is a part that we need
to have in our life. True happiness can therefore be attained only through the
Founder of Lyceum, the first scientific institute in Athens, Aristotle delivered a series
of lectures termed Nicomachean Ethics to present his theory of happiness (Pursuit of
Happiness, 2018). Aristotle asked, “what is the ultimate purpose of human existence?”. He
thought that a worthwhile goal should be to pursue “that which is always desirable in
itself and never for the sake of something else” (Pursuit of Happiness, 2018). However,
Aristotle disagreed with the Cyrenaic view that the only intrinsic good is pleasure
(Waterman, 1993).
In developing his theory of ‘happiness’, Aristotle drew upon his knowledge about
nature. He contended that what separates man from animal is rational capacity –
arguing that a human’s unique function is to reason. He went on to say that pleasure
alone cannot result in happiness because animals are driven by the pursuit of
pleasure and according to Aristotle man has greater capacities than animals (Pursuit
of Happiness, 2018). Instead, he put forward the term ‘eudaimonia’.
‘the function of man is to live a certain kind of life, and this activity implies a
rational principle, and the function of a good man is the good and noble
performance of these, and if any action is well performed it is performed in
accord with the appropriate excellence: if this is the case, then happiness turns
out to be an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue’(Aristotle, 2004).
A key component of Aristotle’s theory of happiness is the factor of virtue. He
contended that in aiming for happiness, the most important factor is to have
‘complete virtue’ or – in other words – good moral character (Pursuit of Happiness,
2008).
Aristotle identified friendship as being one of the most important virtues in
achieving the goal of eudaimonia (Pursuit of Happiness, 2008). In fact, he valued
friendship very highly, and described a ‘virtuous’ friendship as the most enjoyable,
combining both pleasure and virtue. Aristotle went on to put forward his belief that
happiness involves, through the course of an entire life, choosing the ‘greater good’
not necessarily that which brings immediate, short term pleasure (Pursuit of
Happiness, 2008). Thus, according to Aristotle, happiness can only be achieved at the
life-end: it is a goal, not a temporary state of being (Pursuit of Happiness, 2008).
Aristotle believed that happiness is not short-lived:
‘for as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one
day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy’ (Aristotle, 2004).
Happiness (eudaimonia), to Aristotle, meant attaining the ‘daimon’ or perfect self
(Waterman, 1990). Reaching the ‘ultimate perfection of our natures’, as Aristotle
meant by happiness, includes rational reflection (Pursuit of Happiness, 2008). He
argued that education was the embodiment of character refinement (Pursuit of
Happiness, 2008). Striving for the daimon (perfect self) gives life meaning and
direction (Waterman, 1990). Having a meaningful, purposeful life is valuable. Efforts
that the individual puts in to strive for the daimon are termed ‘personally expressive’
(Waterman, 1990). Personal expressiveness involves intense involvement in an
activity, a sense of fulfillment when engaged in an activity, and having a sense of
acting in accordance with one’s purpose (Waterman, 1990). It refers to putting in
effort, feeling challenged and competent, having clear goals and concentrating
(Waterman, 1993).
To answer Aristotle’s question of “what is the ultimate purpose of human existence” is not
a simple task, but perhaps the best answer is that the ultimate goal for human beings
is to strive for ‘eudaimonia’ (happiness).
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201301/aristotle-happines
https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/aristotle/
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+philosophy&oq=what+is+&aqs=chrome.
0.69i59j69i57j0l4.2042j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/philosophy-of-happiness/