Al-Fābi: The Meaning Of Happiness In Life

863 Words4 Pages

THE MEANING OF HAPPINESS
ACCORDING TO AL-FĀRĀBI AND ARISTOTLE

As we know, happiness is something that each of us want to achieve it in our life. Nobody from us want a biiter life. Nobody want tears in their life. Everyone should put the happiness as their goals in their life. According to dictionary, happiness means enjoyment, good fortune, pleasure, contentment and so on. It is mean the quality or state to being happy too. As an example, a mother and father will surely happy if their son success in studies and always be kind to them. Thats happiness too.

Al-Fārābi said, “nations and citizens of cities attain earthly happiness in the first life and supreme happiness in the life beyond when four human things are met: theoretical virtues, deliberative virtues, moral virtues and practical arts”. Al-Fārābi speaks of happiness both of this world and the hereafter. He says that there are four kinds of virtues that when form the qualities of a nation or of the people of a city, their worldly happiness in this world and eternal happiness in the next are insured. Such as: Speculative or deliberative virtue (al-fadail al-nazariyyah), theoretical virtues (fadail al-fikriyyah), the moral virtues (fadail al-khulqiyyah) and the practical arts (al-sanaat …show more content…

He also differs with Aristotle on the relationship between virtues and happiness. To Aristotle, virtues just for the sake of our own sake and for the sake of happiness. But, to Al-Fārābi, virtues just only for the sake of happiness, without for the sake of our own self. In addition, their views different on the aim of happiness. Al-Fārābi bring the aim of happiness as absolute happiness which is get happy not just in this world but also in afterlife. While, Aristotle just focus on happiness in this world. This happen maybe because of the influence of Islamic Philosophy for Al-Fārābi and the influence of Greek Philosophy for