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Similarities Between Aristotle And Martin Seligman

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At the end of everyone’s lives, the goal appears to be about attaining happiness. Describing how to obtain happiness has been an issue that was debated in the past but is still talked about now . In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expands on his view of happiness and he focuses particularly on how reason helps recognize and pursue what will lead to happiness and the good life. I feel that Aristotle’s philosophies on happiness are important works within the field of philosophy and he considered one of the………of it . In this paper, I will explore Aristotle’s beliefs regarding happiness then compare and contrast them to those of Martin Seligman.
Aristotle refers to the soul as a part of the human body and what its role is in pursuing true happiness …show more content…

He says that happiness has evolved over time and uses his theory to support it. Seligman is able to use some of Aristotle’s thoughts and use his science to portray his viewpoints and philosophies. In his book “Flourish”, Seligman identifies five endeavors crucial to human flourishing or happiness. They are positive emotion, engagement, good relationships, meaning and purpose in life, and accomplishment, also referred to as PERMA. Seligman believes that these five elements can help people reach a life of fulfillment, happiness, and meaning. Basically, Seligman says human beings desire to flourish; in addition to wanting happiness, they desire to be good at something, to have fulfilling relationships, and to have meaning in their lives (Flourish, page 16). Seligman’s theory strives to influence individuals and increase their psychological well-being. His positive psychology offers a unique view on mental health through focusing on individual strengths. The goal of positive psychology is to assist individuals in creating meaningful lives through the promotion of positive emotions, individual character strengths, as well as, happiness, as key components to optimal mental health. So happiness to Seligman is an important component and essential but it is not the ultimate end as Aristotle views

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Genuine happiness lies in action that leads to virtue according to Aristotle and this is seen

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Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist

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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics begins by exploring ‘the good’. Book I argues that, unlike other goods, “happiness appears to be something complete and self-sufficient, and is, therefore, the end of actions” (10:1097b20-21). In other words, happiness is the ultimate good. But how does one achieve happiness? Aristotle formulates this in the context of work, since for all things, from artists to horses, “the good and the doing it well seem to be in the work” (10:1097b27-28).

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Thus, when human function is done well, it is in accordance with virtue and best human life is achieved. In addition, it can be inferred that since Aristotle’s definition of happiness is to be virtuous, performing rational activity well can lead to happiness. In addition, Aristotle states, “if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete” (1098a18). This means that eventually there will be one virtue that is inclusive of all virtue and that displays an end, and this virtue will be in line with the self-sufficient and inclusive concept of happiness as the chief good. If this inclusive virtue and good is achieved, ultimate happiness will be achieved as well.

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The main topic of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is eudaimonia, i.e. happiness in the “living well” or “flourishing” sense (terms I will be using interchangeably). In this paper, I will present Aristotle’s view on the role of external goods and fortune for the achievement of happiness. I will argue that he considers them a prerequisite for virtue. Their contribution to happiness is indirect, via the way they affect how we can engage in rational activity according to the relevant virtues. I will then object that this view threatens to make his overall account of happiness incoherent.

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Introduction The definition of happiness and pleasure, is something that from a very early age the human being has always wondered what it is? And as one can achieve and have a pleasant life, the philosopher Epicurus in one of his letters wrote the Letter to Menem, which talks about the happiness and the pleasure and thoughts that man forms while he is alive, I propose in this work to make reflections that The philosopher Epicurus does about what is really happiness? And how can I get it fully, see the connection through the philosophy and health of the spirit (the mind). The philosopher Epicurus mentions that man often forget that he is not an immortal being and that he cares too much about death.

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In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the concept of happiness is introduced as the ultimate good one can achieve in life as well as the ultimate goal of human existence. As Aristotle goes on to further define happiness, one can see that his concept is much different from the 21st-century view. Aristotelian happiness can be achieved through choosing to live the contemplative life, which would naturally encompass moralistic virtue. This differs significantly from the modern view of happiness, which is heavily reliant on material goods. To a person in the 21st-century, happiness is simply an emotional byproduct one experiences as a result of acquiring material goods.

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As Aristotle once said, “ Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence… Happiness depends on ourselves.” Although this is quite a candid remark, there is a lot more to it. The main question people ask subsequent to this is: “How can we achieve our happiness?” They expect a simple answer but the truth is, there is none.

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Many classical philosophers have given their voice to the nature of human life and what entails its climax. The very nature of human beings has been investigated, broadly, to establish a comprehensive understanding often pegged on morality. Yet, such thoughts have prompted diverse viewpoints with accompanying grounds or reasons. Happiness is an unending topic of discussion in philosophy. This paper explores the similarities and differences in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism to coin a position in whether or not happiness is the ultimate end that human society aspires to acquire.

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On the contrary, the acquisition of a good life should rather focus on achievement of an overall balance between an individual with the surrounding world, with practice of fostering good relationships with others and self cognition. The positive development of psychological wellbeing therefore will lead to enduring happiness, which is the ideal outcome of a good

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Aristotle proposes that eudaimonia is the most intrinsically valuable. Eudaimonia is defined as happiness, or well-being. Happiness is probably the best English word to translate eudaimonia, the term also has relations with fulfillment, success, and flourishing. A person who is eudaimon is not just merely enjoying life but is relishing life by living magnificently. One’s reputation and success, different than one’s emotional welfare, can be affected after death, which makes Aristotle’s discussion of eudaimonia after death significantly more relevant.

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The ultimate goal of human life for Plato is to know and understand the truth or the “eidos” of the “good”. The only way for us to see this truth is through our minds. The truth is not accessible in the physical world but in the intellectual realm. For us to be happy or for use to know the truth is only when we are beyond our physical sense it is a totally different level. So according to Plato, “knowledge” and “virtue” are corollary meaning that as long as one exists the other will follow.

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For Aristotle, happiness is the end and purpose of human existence. To pursue happiness is to go for telos. Happiness is neither pleasure nor virtue, but an exercise of virtue. Happiness cannot be achieved until the end of one’s life. Hence, it is a goal not a temporary state.

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