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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: Pleasure Cannot Be The Best Life

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In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he describes his feeling and thoughts on pleasure; he discusses that pleasure is good and that the feeling of eudaimonia is connected to pleasure. Eudaimonia, also know as the term for happiness in Greek, means “a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous” (dictionary.com). Aristotle describes happiness as the main purpose of all human lives and that it is absolutely the essential goal for all humans. I disagree with Aristotle’s statement that a life of pleasure cannot be the best life because just because a person finds pleasure in different ventures other than being virtuous doesn’t make them an animalistic person. Aristotle indicates that pleasure is the most necessary part of unimpeded activity, but pleasure on it own, can be unintended from an activity; in which pleasure itself would develop from activity without any type of drawbacks. Pleasure …show more content…

I disagree with Aristotle’s argument due to the fact that a human can find pleasure in many different endeavors throughout their life, whether it is to be rich and have all the money in the world, to have everything you want when you need it or to merely have materialistic items just for the soul purpose of having those items. Aristotle has described that one who lives their life with just pleasure is simply animalistic and irrational. For example, when Aristotle states, “For on the basis of the lives they lead, the many and crudest seem to suppose, not unreasonably, that the good and happiness are pleasure. And thus they cherish the life of enjoyment. …Now, in choosing a life of fatted cattle, the many appear altogether slavish; but they attain a hearing, because many people in positions of authority experience passions like those of Sardanapallus” (Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1, Chapter 5, page

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Within the given extract from Aristotle's ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ one’s interpretation is that Aristotle aims to continue the discussion on what makes a Good Life, which specific focus on what exactly the Good is. Aristotle starts by explaining that cultured men, educated and successful, “identify the Good with honour” as this is perceived to be the “goal of the political life”. Aristotle disagrees with identification, justifying this by explaining honour to be a superficial argument, being that it focuses on the gaining of something (ie power) over others, which is ultimately not Good motivation. Aristotle sees it that “People[...]seek honour in order to convince themselves of their own goodness”. Many would argue that to act only to justify one's own actions is not the entirety of the Good Life, as it has selfish motivations and selfishness is not part of the true nature of the Good Life.

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