The Good Life Hedonism
Aristotle and How We All Aspire for a Good Life Hedonists believe that the ultimate goal of life is
pleasure. Life is about seeking enjoyment and
Plato and Aristotle took different approaches in indulging in pleasurable experiences, especially
understanding reality. since life is short.
Plato believed that the things we experience in this The motto of this philosophy is:
world are not truly real; they are merely copies of "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
perfect forms that exist in a higher realm—the
World of Forms. For Plato, change is perplexing Stoicism
and can only be understood if we accept that there
are two levels of reality: the World of Forms and the Stoicism teaches that to achieve happiness, one must
World of Matter. In the World of Matter, things are distance oneself emotionally and practice
changing and impermanent. But in the World of apathy—from the Greek word apatheia, meaning
Forms, true and unchanging realities exist. indifference.
According to Plato, a "good life" is one that ensures
a person’s well-being, also known as Eudaimonia. According to the Stoics, happiness can be attained
through the careful practice of detachment. Many
In this view, the entities in the material world are just things are beyond our control—such as other
copies or shadows of the ideal forms, which are the people's actions or emotions—and accepting this
only true realities. For Plato, form precedes matter. truth leads to inner peace and contentment.
Aristotle, on the other hand, argued that there is no Theism
reality beyond what our senses can perceive. He
believed that this physical world is the only reality Theism holds that true happiness is found by placing
we have access to. Aristotle also held that human God at the center of one’s life. Life’s ultimate goal
beings are potentialities—beings with the potential is based on a belief in a supernatural reality, often
to become their true selves. Every action that a referred to as Heaven. For theists, happiness is
person takes is directed toward achieving a purpose, found in communion with God.
or telos. For Aristotle, this purpose is happiness,
which he defined as human flourishing—a deep They believe that this world is only a temporary
sense of contentment that comes from living life to reality, and that we are simply passing through it on
its fullest potential. our way to eternal union with the Divine.
According to Aristotle, happiness is the end goal of Humanism
all human actions. It is the ultimate aim of life.
Humanism emphasizes human freedom and self-
Philosophies on the Good Life: Materialism, determination. It promotes the idea that individuals
Hedonism, Stoicism, Theism, and are free to carve their own destinies and create
Humanism their own moral laws, independent of divine
authority.
These schools of thought each present a different
For humanists, people are not just caretakers of the
view on what it means to live a good and happy life:
world but autonomous beings who are fully capable
of managing their lives and shaping their future. Man
Materialism
is, as they say, the captain of his own ship.
Materialism asserts that only material things can
bring happiness. There is no need to consider
abstract or immaterial ideas as sources of purpose.
The first materialists were the Atomists in Ancient
Greece, such as Democritus and Leucippus, who
believed that the world is composed of and governed
by tiny, indivisible units called atomos or "seeds."
According to them, everything—including human
beings—is made of matter. For materialists,
happiness is achieved through material well-
being.
