Republic of the Philippines HIGHEST GOOD

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY ➔ Aristotle gives us insight on

Don Severino de las Alas Campus the main component of the
Indang, Cavite highest good. It must be
something that is consistent
with the maximization of our
faculties (mental or physical
Lecture 9: The Good Life
power) as human beings.
➔ Yes, a good life should
ARISTOTLE
certainly contain some
➔ Aristotle in his view of a good life
enjoyment connected with
posited that there are certain things
our biological nature, but our
that are essential to living a good
higher faculties should be
life.
given more importance.
➔ He identified the highest “good” for
human beings.
INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES AS
➔ According to him, acquisition of
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
material wealth, pursuing honor and
➔ Aristotle associates
bodily pleasures are deficient
intellectual virtues with what
enough to be considered as the
we identify as scientific
highest good for humans, because
knowledge.
there are other essential things
needed to live a good life aside from ➔ Here, there are two kinds of
those aforementioned things. knowledge, knowledge of
first principles or fundamental
truths of nature; and
WEALTH, HONOR AND PLEASURE knowledge that comes from
➔ Material wealth is always acquired inference or demonstration.
for the purpose of attaining Or what comes about as a
something else. It is only a means to result of applying these
an end therefore it cannot be the principles or fundamental
main good or the highest good. truths.
➔ Pursuing honor is not connected to
any characteristic of the person
VIRTUES
himself but how others perceive him,
➔ Aristotle claims the person
so still this cannot be the highest
who lives a good life also
good.
acts rightly and develops the
➔ Pleasure is certainly not the main appropriate state of character
good, and people whose main from which to perform those
interest lies in bodily pleasures are right actions.
described as living ‘lives that are fit
➔ While the intellectual virtues
only for cattle’.
are required as a result of
learning these character
virtues (such as courage,
 temperance, and generosity) Prepared by:
are acquired as a result of
habituation and life
experiences. These virtues
occupy a middle ground
between the vices of excess RYAN V. JULIAN
and deficiency relative to GNED 06 Instructor
each person i.e. the virtue of
courage occupies a middle
ground between being
cowardly and being overly
rash.

WHY SHOULD YOU BECOME A

VIRTUOUS PERSON?
➔ Having discussed what it means to
live a good life, why do you think you
should become a virtuous person?
What do you think will come out of
your becoming a virtuous person?

EUDAIMONIA
➔ Acquisition of these intellectual
virtues and virtue of character make
up Aristotle’s highest good, which he
identifies with the greek word
“Eudaimonia” which is often
translated as the word happiness.
Living a Eudaimonistic Life is living
the Good Life according to Aristotle
➔ The advancements in science and
technology not only make our lives
easier but also aid in our goal to
achieve Eudaimonia. Likewise, the
values and virtues that we acquire
together with our scientific
knowledge are the prerequisites for
the development of innovative ideas
in creating helpful technologies.