The Philosophy of Happiness in Life ( - Aristotle's View) 2
The Philosophy of Happiness in Life ( - Aristotle's View) 2
The Philosophy of Happiness in Life ( - Aristotle's View) 2
The basic role of ‘philosophy’ is to ask questions, and think about the nature of
human thought and the universe. Thus, a discussion of the philosophy of
happiness in life can be seen as an examination of the very nature of happiness
and what it means for the universe.
Philosophers have been inquiring about happiness since ancient times. Aristotle,
when he asked ‘what is the ultimate purpose of human existence’ alluded to the
fact that purpose was what he argued to be ‘happiness’. He termed this
eudaimonia – “activity expressing virtue”. This will all be explained shortly.
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Aristotle on Happiness
6 Recommended Books
A Take-Home Message
References
Philosophers ask some key questions about happiness: can people be happy? If so,
do they want to? If people have both a desire to be happy and the ability to be
happy, does this mean that they should, therefore, pursue happiness for
themselves and others? If they can, they want to, and they ought to be happy, but
how do they achieve this goal?
To explore the philosophy of happiness in life, first, the history of happiness will
be examined.
Democritus, a philosopher from Ancient Greece, was the first philosopher in the
western world to examine the nature of happiness (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). He
put forth a suggestion that, unlike it was previously thought, happiness does not
result from ‘favorable fate’ (i.e. good luck) or other external circumstances
(Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
A more objective view of happiness was introduced by Socrates, and his student,
Plato.
They put forth the notion that happiness was “secure enjoyment of what is good
and beautiful” (Plato, 1999, p. 80). Plato developed the idea that the best life is one
whereby a person is either pursuing pleasure of exercising intellectual virtues…
an argument which, the next key figure in the development of the philosophy of
happiness – Aristotle – disagreed with (Waterman, 1993).
The philosophy of Aristotle will be explored in depth in the next section of this
article.
Hellenic history (i.e. ancient Greek times) was largely dominated by the prominent
theory of hedonism (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Hedonism is, to put it simply, the pursuit of pleasure as the only intrinsic good
(Waterman, 1993). This was the Cyrenaic view of happiness. It was thought that a
good life was denoted by seeking pleasure, and satisfying physical,
intellectual/social needs (Kashdan, Biswas-Diener & King, 2008).
Kraut (1979, p. 178) describes hedonic happiness as “the belief that one is getting
the important things one wants, as well as certain pleasant affects that normally
go along with this belief” (Waterman, 1993).
In ancient times, it was also thought that it is not possible to live a good life
without living in accordance with reason and morality (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Epicurus, whose work was dominated by hedonism, contended that in fact, virtue
(living according to values) and pleasure are interdependent (Kesebir & Diener,
2008).
In the middle ages, Christian philosophers said that whilst virtue is essential for a
good life, that virtue alone is not sufficient for happiness (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
At this time, in the western world pleasure was regarded as the path to, or even
the same thing as, happiness (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). From the early nineteenth
century, happiness was seen as a value which is derived from maximum pleasure.
In the modern era, happiness is something we take for granted. It is assumed that
humans are entitled to pursue and attain happiness (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). This
is evidenced by the fact that in the US declaration of independence, the pursuit of
happiness is protected as a fundamental human right! (Conkle, 2008).
Go into any book store and large sections are dedicated to the wide range of ‘self-
help’ books all promoting happiness.
1. Life satisfaction
2. Satisfaction with important aspects of one’s life (for example work,
relationships, health)
3. The presence of positive affect
4. Low levels of negative affect
Two other accounts of happiness in modern psychology are firstly, the concept of
psychological wellbeing (Ryff & Singer, 1996) and secondly, self-determination
theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
Both of these theories are more consistent with the eudaemonist theories of
‘flourishing’ (including Aristotle’s ideas) because they describe the phenomenon of
needs (such as autonomy, self-acceptance, and mastery) being met (Kesebir &
Diener, 2008).
Eudaimonia will be explained in detail in the next section of the article (keep
reading!) but for now, it suffices to say that eudaemonist theories of happiness
define ‘happiness’ (eudaimonia) as a state in which an individual strives for the
highest human good.
These days, most empirical psychological research puts forward the theory of
subjective wellbeing rather than happiness as defined in a eudaimonic sense
(Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
‘Ideal’ happiness implies a way of being that is complete, lasting and altogether
perfect… probably outside of anyone’s reach! (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). However,
despite this, people can actually experience mostly positive emotions and report
overall satisfaction with their lives and therefore be deemed ‘happy’.
In fact, most people are happy. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center
in the US (2006), 84% of Americans see themselves as either “very happy” or
“pretty happy” (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
The fact that most people report being happy, and happiness having an adaptive
function, leads Kesebir and Diener (2008) to conclude that yes people can, in fact,
be happy.
The overwhelming answer is yes! Research has shown that being happy is
desirable. Whilst being happy is certainly not the only goal in life, nonetheless, it
is necessary for a good life (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
A study by King and Napa (1998) showed that Americans view happiness as more
relevant to the judgment of what constitutes a good life, rather than either wealth
or ‘moral goodness’.
Another way of putting this, is happiness justifiable? Happiness is not just the
result of positive outcomes, such as better health, improved work performance,
more ethical behavior, and better social relationships (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). It
actually precedes and causes these outcomes!
Happiness
Achievement
Happiness is derived not from pursuing pleasure, but by working towards goals
which are reflected in one’s values (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Happiness brings out the best in people… people who are happier are more social,
cooperative and ethical (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Happy individuals have also been shown to evaluate others more positively, show
greater interest in interacting with others socially, and even be more likely to
engage in self-disclosure (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Happy individuals are also more likely to behave ethically (for example, choosing
not to buy something because it is known to be stolen) (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
How to be happy?
The conditions and sources of happiness will be explored later on, so do keep
reading… briefly in the meantime, happiness is caused by wealth, friends and
social relationships, religion, and personality. These factors predict happiness.
Aristotle on Happiness
Chances are, you have heard of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Are you
aware that it was Aristotle who introduced the ‘science of happiness’? (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).
‘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).
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).
‘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).
Efforts that the individual puts in to strive for the daimon are termed ‘personally
expressive’ (Waterman, 1990).
Telfer (1980), on the other hand, claimed that eudaimonia is a sufficient but not a
necessary condition for achieving hedonic enjoyment (Waterman, 1993). How are
eudaimonia and hedonic enjoyment different?
Thus, Aristotle identified the best possible life goal and the achievement of the
highest level of meeting one’s needs, self-realization many, many years before
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs!
Results from Waterman’s 1993 study provide empirical support for the association
between ‘personal expressiveness’ and what was described by Csikszentimikalyi
(1975) as “flow” (Waterman, 1993).
To be truly happy, a person’s sense of contentment with their life needs to come
from within (Puff, 2018). In other words, real happiness is internal.
There are a few features that characterize ‘true’ (or real) happiness. The first is
acceptance. A truly happy individual accepts reality for what it is, and what’s
more, they actually come to love ‘what is’ (Puff, 2018).
This acceptance allows a person to feel content. As well as accepting the true
state of affairs, real happiness involves accepting the fact that change is inevitable
(Puff, 2018). Being willing to accept change as part of life means that truly happy
people are in a position to be adaptive.
In terms of career, happy individuals are more likely to complete college, secure
employment, receive positive work evaluations from their superiors, earn higher
incomes, and are less likely to lose their job – and, in case of being laid off, people
who are happy are re-employed more quickly (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Positive emotions also precede and promote career success (Lyubomirsky, 2018).
Happy workers are less likely to burn out, be absent from work and quit their job
(Lyubomirsky, 2018). Further on in this article, the relationship between happiness
and productivity will be explored more thoroughly.
It has also been found that people who are happy contribute more to society
(Conkle, 2008). There is also an association between happiness and cooperation –
those who are happy are more cooperative (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). They are also
more likely to display ethical behavior (Kesebir & Diener, 2008).
Perhaps the most important reason to have true happiness in life is that it is
linked to longevity. True happiness is a significant predictor of a longer, healthier
life (Conkle, 2008).
It is not only the effects of happiness that benefit individuals. Whole countries can
flourish too – according to research, nations that are rated as happier also score
more highly on generalized trust, volunteerism and democratic attitudes (Kesebir
& Diener, 2008).