Livability In Ancient Greece Essay

459 Words2 Pages

The term “livability” has become very popular especially in last years due to the appearance of rankings measuring this phenomenon in different cities. The word “livable” is used in countless ways to describe quality of life and standards of living that every city aspires to achieve. But already in ancient Greece, people were focusing on improving their quality of life in cities. Everyday life, in the city-states like Athens, was based on many amenities considering public life and recreation. Men were spending time socializing in agoras, getting fit in gymnasiums or exploring culture in theaters. At that time women did not have any civil rights. Later on, similar comforts had Romans. Richer citizens of the Roman Empire could afford private villas, spending their time on work and leisure. The city life was concentrated on forums and people were attending different games as gladiators competitions and then relaxing in the baths. Not all the enjoyments were accessible to …show more content…

Many philosophers, notably Aristotle (384-322 BC), produced a list of things that comprise quality of life writing specifically about “the good life” and “living well” and how public policy can help to foster it. In his work, Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explained that eudaimonia means “doing and living well” and he used this term in the context of the highest human good. His treatise also examined the character traits that human beings need in order to live their lives in the best way. Another philosopher Epicurus created ethical theory of hedonism. He identified the eudaemonic life as the life of pleasure where eudaimonia is a more or less continuous experience of pleasure, just as freedom from pain and