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The Good Life: Aristotle on Living WellQuestions about the Good Life - or what it means to live well - have been debated in philosophic and religious texts, world literature, and in every street corner around the world for a long long time.Ultimately, each of us must answer this question for ourselves. Yet, exposure to others who have thought deeply on this issue can help us in our journey.  One of the most complete investigations on the meaning of the Good Life in the West is Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, written roughly 2500 years ago in Ancient Greece. This page will explore Aristotle's thinking on the Good Life and finish with a discussion about what it means for your personal growth. Aristotle's Question In the Ethics, Aristotle explores the question, What is the best way of life? What is the way of life which most fully expresses the meaning of being human? He begins his investigation by examining three candidates:
The Life of Virtue Aristotle then spends nine of ten chapters in the book investigating the life of Virtue. Virtue, or arete in the Greek, connotes excellence and, according to Aristotle, performing excellently brings happiness. (Sounds a lot like "flow" in positive psychology doesn't it. . .) He identifies the goal of the life of Virtue as the demonstration of one's excellence, particularly as it relates to moral and political action. He lists the major virtues and the discussion of these virtues forms the majority of the text:
For example, for the virtue of courage, a courageous person is neither cowardly (too little courage) nor rash (reckless courage.) Rather, he displays the appropriate amount of courage and feels pleasure at displaying the virtue excellently. After investigating the pleasure derived from living virtuously and focusing on performing excellently in action, Aristotle identifies Friendship as the crowning pleasure of the life of Virtue. For, he says, only the virtuous can be true friends. Those without virtue have only opportune friendships that satisfy needs. The Contemplative Life From there, Aristotle moves to a discussion of intellectual virtue - a life devoted to Contemplation. Aristotle suggests that a life using logos, or reason, is the type of virtue most befitting a human being, since logos is man's highest capacity and that which separates him from animals. Aristotle claims a life of contemplation offers the advantages of calling upon the best capacities in man. Moreover, he claims it is the most continuous, self-sufficient, and divine of all activities and it is the only activity undertaken for its own sake (not as an means to an end). Aristotle also hints that contemplatives focus on the divine, although he does not discuss that directly. Towards the end of his discussion, he tempers his suggestion for a life of pure contemplation and seems to suggest that the best way of life involves contemplation about human things that will benefit society. A close second for the best way of life may be a thoughtful life of action. The Answer? Surely, the search for the Good Life, or the best way of living, is no small question. And, although Aristotle's text has many twists and turns and offers many possibilities, it offers no clear answer. Actually, it raises more questions than it answers. (All good teachers do this. . .) A renowned Aristotle scholar, Aristide Tessitore, describes this ambiguity: It seems reasonable to expect that a comprehensive study of ethics, whatever else it might leave in doubt, would offer a clear teaching on the best way to live as a human being. Yet it is precisely this issue that remains in question in what is arguably the most influential book on ethics ever written (2). It seems Aristotle refrains from offering a concrete answer and leaves the question in our own hands. Following Aristotle's logic can help us think through our own search for the Good Life, although ultimately each of us must find our own answer. What This Means for Personal Growth Although written 2500 years ago, Aristotle's thinking on the good life echoes many of the recent approaches to personal growth you have likely come across on this site and elsewhere. For example, a life of virtuous, excellent action sure sounds a lot like the concept of "flow" in positive psychology. And, think about his three levels of options - a life of selfish pleasure, to a life of action and achievement, and a life of contemplation (particularly on divine things). These options for the good life sure sound a lot like the general stages of adult development. Yet, while Aristotle's work echoes recent personal growth approaches, many limitations exist as well. Namely, Aristotle identifies logos or "reason" as man's highest capacity. But is it? The Eastern traditions, in particular, would claim humankind has great capacities beyond the intellect. The intellect is merely the tip of the iceberg. In fact, they would claim the chattering mind stands in the way of accessing humankind's true power and your true nature. So, while Aristotle presents a thorough investigation, he seems to stop short, and this echoes the shortcoming we see in the West of associating development only with the mind. Body-mind and spiritual development can take you much further. But let's not sell Aristotle short. Not bad for 2500 years ago. In the end, the question of the Good Life is yours to answer. Seek your own answer, yet enjoy the seeking and don't miss the journey. Xaire! (That's a greeting that means "rejoice" in Greek.) Note: Many of the ideas in this page come from my Honors Thesis at Davidson College titled "Aristotle and the Best Way of Life." I worked under Dr. Peter Ahrensdorf and am grateful for his guidance. (1) Aristotle, Translated by Joe Sachs (2002). Nicomachean Ethics. Newbury, MA: Focus Publishing. (2)Tessitore, Aristide (1996). Reading Aristotle’s Ethics: Virtue, Rhetoric, and Political Philosophy. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p 9. Leave The Good Life and Return to Happiness Main Page Leave The Good Life and Return to BPGR Main Page Related Articles:
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