What Does Every Art Inquiry and Action Aim at? Philosphy
Aristotle argued that the end or purpose of human life was flourishing. But what is flourishing? And how do we flourish?
What's the Signal?
What'southward the betoken? Some time or other, we've all probably asked ourselves this question. What'south the betoken of doing what we are doing? What's the point of our lives? What'south the point of human life in general?
When nosotros ask ourselves these questions, we are not but idly speculating virtually life. Instead, these are questions that we feel securely and intensely. They have an existential weight behind them. After all, everything in man life—everything we think and exercise—seems to depend on the way that we answer these questions.
If yous have ever been preoccupied with these questions, then you are not alone. They likewise preoccupied the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE). And in his Nicomachean Ideals, Aristotle takes these questions about the purpose, the point, or the end of human life, and he tackles them caput-on.
Well-nigh the Nicomachean Ideals
Earlier nosotros launch into exploring how Aristotle goes virtually answering these questions, it is worth saying a fleck more than well-nigh the Nicomachean Ideals itself. The book is probably named after Aristotle's son, Nicomachus (although, confusingly, Aristotle's father was besides called Nicomachus). Some have said that Nicomachus edited the work, thereby lending it his proper noun; but the bear witness for this is slim, peculiarly given that Nicomachus himself died young.
As a book, the Nicomachean Ethics—like many of Aristotle'southward surviving works—reads somewhat sketchily. The book seems more like lecture notes than a terminal polished piece of work for public consumption (there is evidence that the works Aristotle wrote for wider audiences were much more elegant). But for all this, the work is remarkably consistent and focussed. And it has remained influential down to the present day.
Aiming at the Practiced
The Nicomachean Ideals starts with a compelling exclamation: that pretty much everything we do aims at some expert.
Every skill and every inquiry, and similarly every action and rational choice, is thought to aim at some good; and and so the proficient has been aptly described every bit that at which everything aims. (1094a).
Why do we get ourselves a cat? Because we remember information technology will be a adept affair to take a pocket-size, furry companion. Why practice we learn to sing? Because we recollect it will be expert to serenade our true cat. Why do we want to move house? Considering we call up it will be expert to live somewhere where the neighbours don't mutter when nosotros sing to our cat at iii am. And so on. Even the worst of human being deportment aims at some kind of adept (Why do I want to unleash destruction on my enemies? So I tin can alive out my days in peace, singing songs to my cat).
Only Aristotle observes that many of the things we practise are done not for their own sake, but for the sake of something else. The goods that nosotros aim at are often only temporary or transitional goods, steps on the road to some higher good. We piece of work and then that we can make money. We make coin so that we can purchase a house. We purchase a house so that we can have shelter, a foothold in the world. And so on.
Often our desires are linked like this, as if they are a kind of chain: we want A so we can have B; nosotros desire B so we can accept C; and we want C so we tin can have D… But these chains don't keep forever. Eventually, you lot get to an endpoint. And that endpoint, Aristotle says, is happiness.
Why is happiness the end indicate? Because happiness is non something we want for the sake of something else. Instead, it is something we want for its own sake. Later on all, why do we want to be happy? Well, just because. So Aristotle concludes that happiness is the ultimate good considering it is the one affair we want for its own sake.
On Beingness Good Spirited
Only what does Aristotle mean by happiness? He is not talking well-nigh enjoying our lives. Nor is he talking about the feeling of being happy, or having a life filled with pleasure. Instead, for Aristotle, happiness is about beingness able to fully express the excellence of human beingness. Happiness, he says, is the condition of "living well and doing well" (1095a).
The word that Aristotle uses for happiness is eudaimonia. In Greek, eu is a prefix meaning "proficient" or "well", and daimon tin mean "spirit", "fortune" or "guiding spirit." This is often translated equally "flourishing." The translation is imperfect. Simply it does at least bring home to us the idea that a skillful human life is a life in which—through living well and doing well—nosotros fully express our homo capacities. A flourishing grapevine grows strong and vigorous, doesn't suffer from disease or drought, and produces bunches of excellent grapes. Similarly, a flourishing human life is a life where things go well for united states of america, and where we bring forth excellent fruits.
Human Characteristics
Just what are these fruits? Up to this signal, this may all seem still a little vague. And Aristotle himself admits that, at least at first glance, "saying that happiness is the chief skilful sounds rather platitudinous" (1097b). So what does information technology mean to live well and to do well?
Let's become back to the question we started with: what is the point of man life? In pursuit of an respond to this question, Aristotle starts by asking about what he calls our characteristic activity (or ergon in Greek). The characteristic activeness of something is what it is for—its purpose—if information technology is functioning optimally. The feature activity of a pocketknife is cutting. The characteristic activity of the human eye is seeing. The characteristic activity of the tongue is tasting. The feature activity of the gut is digesting. And the characteristic activity of the optimally functioning gourmet chef is to put that pocketknife to work to produce food that volition please the eye, the tongue, and the gut.
Then what, Aristotle asks, is the characteristic activity or the ergon of a homo being? It is not just life because this is something we share with other animals and also with plants. It is an activity, but not the characteristic activity nosotros have past virtue of beingness human. Nor is it sentience because this is something we share with other animals. Instead, Aristotle says, our characteristic activity is "a life, concerned in some way with action, of the chemical element that possesses reason" (1098a). And, he adds, "the feature activity of the skilful person to exist to carry this out well and nobly."
Who Flourishes?
So what does it mean to flourish as a homo being? And who gets the chance to flourish? Then far, information technology looks as if flourishing is something that we ourselves enact through virtuous action. We act well in guild with others, guided by reason, virtuously using our human capacities in pursuit of the skillful. And when we do this, then we tin can be said to be happy and flourishing.
However, Aristotle recognises that eudaimonia or happiness is not merely nigh internal weather condition. The "guiding spirit" or daimon of eudaimonia is partly internal. But it is also partly to exercise with our attunement to the external globe, and to our changing fortunes in the external world. To live well and to do well, yous need the support of both external and internal conditions.
And here Aristotle is clear-eyed about the extent to which flourishing is a part of our social position.
Happiness manifestly needs the presence of external goods besides, since it is impossible, or at least no like shooting fish in a barrel matter, to perform noble actions without resource. For in many deportment, we employ, equally if they were instruments at our disposal, friends, wealth, and political ability. (1099b)
This raises a question that Aristotle himself side-steps. If flourishing is the ultimate man good, it would seem to be an plain skilful matter if as many people as possible could be said to flourish.
But if flourishing is of import for homo life, the question is this: how do we offset the inequities of fate and fortune to make sure that all can flourish, rather than the privileged few?
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Farther Reading
Books and articles
In that location are lots of translations of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics out there. I don't accept a favourite translation, but the quotes in this slice are taken from Aristotle: Nicomachean Ideals translated by Roger Crisp (Cambridge University Printing 2000).
CUP also has a expert introduction. Try Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: An Introduction by Michael Pakaluk (Cup 2005).
Online Resources
Should we abolish Aristotle? This piece from Agnes Callard on Aristotle'south views in gimmicky perspective is worth reading, not least because information technology kicked off a whole load of interesting responses and rebuttals.
And hither'south a broader-brush slice from the BBC on Aristotle and divergent approaches to happiness.
Source: https://www.lookingforwisdom.com/aristotle-on-flourishing/
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