1
THE GOOD LIFE
LESSON 4
2
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, students should
be able to:
* Examine what is meant by a good life;
* Identify how humans attempt to attain
what is deemed to be a good life; and
* Recognize possibilities available to human
being to attain the good life.
3
“the need to understand the
world and reality was bound
with the need to understand
the self and the good life”
4
“the task of understanding the
things in the world runs parallel
with the job of truly getting into
what will make the soul flourish”
“man must seek to understand
Plato himself”
5
Practical Science & Theoretical Science
❑ Ethics ❑ Logic
❑ Politics ❑ Biology
❑ Physics
❑ Metaphysics
Aristotle “GOOD” “TRUTH”
First philosopher who approached the
problem of reality from a “scientific” lens
end goal of life: HAPPINESS
ARISTOTLE AND HOW WE ALL 6
ASPIRE FOR A GOOD LIFE
u ARISTOTLE
u versus
u PLATO
u “REALITY”
Claiming that this world Things in this world are
is all there is to it and that not real and are only
this world is the only copies of the real in the
reality we can all access. world of forms
7
CHANGE
TWO REALITIES:
❑World of Forms ❑World of Matter
things are copies things are
Plato of the ideal and
the models
changing and
impermanent
8
CHANGE
There is no reality over and above what
the senses can perceive.
Change is a process that is inherent in things.
Every human being moves according to
some end.
❑ Action is a function of the purpose
(telos).
❑ END = happiness or human
flourishing
Aristotle
9
HAPPINESS AS THE GOAL OF A GOOD LIFE
Declared the Greatest Happiness principle in the
18th century.
❑ “action is right as far as it maximizes the
attainment of happiness for the greatest number
of people”
❑ “individual happiness of each individual should be
prioritized and collectively dictates the kind of
action that should be endorsed”
Pronouncements against mining
Utilitarianism
The ethical is, of course, meant to lead us to the
John Stuart Mill good life and happy life.
10
MATERIALISM
Only material entities matter
Matter is what makes us attain happiness
Atomos or seeds.
The world, including human beings,
is made up of matter.
Atomos form the things in the
world
Leucippus Democritus
11
HEDONISM
led by Epicurus
End goal of life is acquiring pleasure
“life is all about obtaining and indulging in
pleasure because life is limited”
“Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”
does not buy any notion of afterlife just
like the materialists
Epicurus The mantra of hedonism is “eat, drink
and be merry for tomorrow we die.
12
STOICISM
led by Epicurus
Learn to distance oneself and be apathetic
Apatheia means to be indifferent
Happiness can only be attained by
a careful practice of apathy
Some things are not within our control
Epicurus
13
4 main ideas of Stoicism
u Stoics elaborated a detailed taxonomy
of virtue, dividing virtue into four main
types:
u wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation
14
THEISM
The ultimate basis of happiness is the
communion with God.
“This most beautiful system of the sun,
planets and comets, could only proceed
from the counsel and dominion of an
intelligent and powerful Being.”
– Isaac Newton
“The function of prayer is not to influence
God, but rather to change the nature of
the one who prays.” – Soren Kiergkegaard
15
HUMANISM
founder-Petrarch, 14th century
espouses the freedom of man to carve
his own destiny and to legislate his own
laws, free from the shackles of a God
that monitors and controls
Man is the captain of his own ship
Individuals who are in control of
themselves and the outside world
16
END OF THE PRESENTATION
