The Pursuit Of Happiness Rhetorical Analysis

My response to the topic about the aim of man is that I agree that we all strive to achieve the very same goal as Aristotle points out; which is happiness. I think that his essay captures his definition of happiness well by repeating it several times throughout. This is effective to me because it is a repetitive way to enforce the topic. I agree with Aristotle especially that one does not know happiness until they can make the discernment. For the same reason he stated that a child can not be happy. I like his definition to happiness because it isn’t just characterized by good fortunes but it is much deeper in that it derives from the soul with perfect righteousness.

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discussed his theory of happiness and attempted to answer the many questions related to what makes people happy. Questions asked were “What is the purpose of human existence?” “What is the end goal we are trying to achieve so that we know how we should conduct ourselves?” With so many people seeking pleasure through a variety of means such a wealth, reputation, personal belongings and friends, they may be missing the mark when it comes to happiness. While these each have a value attached to them, none of them contains what is truly needed to be described as the “good” we should be aiming toward. According to Aristotle, to be an ultimate end, an act must be self-sufficient and final, “that which is always desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else” (Nicomachean Ethics, 1097a30-34)

The amalgam of the human experience and the pursuit of happiness is that of an instinctive and inexorable nature; perchance in happiness lays the fundamental purpose of the human experience. Happiness, throughout the lapse of time—regardless of multifarious discrepancies, such as nationality or age, has proven to be an all-inclusive search. Whether it is derived from power, wealth, success, or elsewhere, happiness is a perpetual pursuit. Illustrious philosopher Aristotle believed “happiness depends upon ourselves (Aristotle)”, speaking to a notion of happiness being an individual endeavor.

I watched Choose Happiness. The video maker’s name is Sam and she is a 21-year-old who claims to be obsessed with happiness. In the video Sam talks about happiness is what everyone wants and the way to obtain happiness if by choosing it. Now, happiness is not how much money you have, what kind of house you live in, or how much you weigh. True happiness comes from within.

In modern society, the line between pleasure and happiness is commonly blurred. While pleasures are momentary feelings of joy, they do not entail true happiness. True happiness is present even at the worst of times. It is there in moments of delight as well as in moments of pain and distress. On the journey to a good life, discovering a true sense of happiness is essential. This concept is portrayed in The History by Herodotus and Happiness by Richard Taylor. While these readings define happiness differently, they both demonstrate the idea that a life well lived consists of long term happiness as opposed to short term pleasures.

Aristotle presents multiple qualities of happiness, such as being, complete, intrinsically worth pursuing, and self-sufficient. Through this analysis of characteristics, he confirms that happiness is a phenomenon of eudaimonia, meaning living well or flourishing (NE 1098b, 1095a). More simply, Aristotle states that happiness is the same as flourishing in the human function. Moreover, he also states that one must first know of the proper human function before being able to achieve

In Book 1 of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he argues that happiness is the best good, and the goal of an individual and of those leading and governing society. Here, happiness is understood as both living well and doing well, rather than the convention sense of happiness as an emotion. According to Aristotle, happiness is achieved though actions involving reason and in accord with virtue, or the best of the virtues of there are more than one. In this paper, I will provide a brief overview of the work and its author, then proceed to provide an overview of the ideas expressed and the argumentation supporting them, before finally performing an analysis and critique of the ideas expressed.

Happiness is what one defines as a set limit of true enjoyment. We all have our own kinds of happiness whether it is in the state of mind or a plan of action. Most of humanity cheerfulness will not match because of their clarity of life but there may be some similar steps to get to the point in which appeal to their form of happiness. Aristotle touched a lot of key concept to the definition of happiness which proves that we all have a different understanding of what is expected as happiness. Aristotle defines happiness as the virtue of good and desirable of people. Aristotle think everything we do in life as humans have a greater purpose. According to Aristotle articles, whether you realize it at the moment or not the things you do have a greater

The sensation of happiness is something that has undeniably been argued about for many years by a wide range of philosophical individuals. Questions about the true meaning of being happy are very common, as there are many different viewpoints that have very different opinions on the matter. A well respected analytical philosopher, Richard Kraut, attempted to differentiate a few of these viewpoints, as well as his own standpoint in comparison with Aristotle, who had his own definition of happiness. Aristotle defined happiness in his Nicomachean Ethics as “eudaimon”, which has roughly been translated as “human flourishing”. The term does not directly mean happiness, rather, he implored that the term differentiates between the notion of feeling happy, and the act of leading a happy life. Aristotle argued that these happy feelings only pertain to one’s internal identity and are only experienced by that particular individual. Leading a happy life is also experienced internally, but it is subject to external criticism, thus giving meaning to a similar, yet different idea. One may argue that a person’s life is full of happiness and joy because they have experienced these emotions, while another, who may have witnessed a large portion of their life, might say they have not had a happy life, despite some of the happy instances had by the person.

Aristotle and John Stuart Mill share a variety of similarities and differences with the concept of happiness. However, their explanation of happiness for moral theory is contrasted in how one should live their life morally. Aristotle expresses happiness in being virtuous to attain it by becoming a fixed and unchangeable character with good intentions and have knowledge of what the individual is doing. Mill explains the concept in a utilitarian perspective, in which the actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness. In a comparison between their ideal perspective about happiness for moral theory, Mill argues that people’s achievements of goals and ends of a virtuous living should be counted as part of their happiness.

Philosopher’s View on Happiness In “Book 10 chapter 7” of Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics, translated by Hippocrates G. Apostle” (DesMoines: Peripatetic Press, 1984) Aristotle states that happiness has to come is the “highest of all intellect” meaning that the activity has to be close to us that it stands out from the other task that we do everyday. As well as we take some form of “pleasure” that we get from that particular activity.

Aristotle’s first book in the Nicomachean Ethics, tackles the pursuit and function of man. Aristotle believes that because of mans rationality and intelligence, there must be one great purpose to all that we do. It cannot be something as basic as the gratification of pleasure since we are superior creatures, and it must be something beyond each sole virtue since there is not a complete end in themselves. Aristotle comes to the conclusion that this final end or “good”, must be happiness and uses the first book in the series to not only state his theory, but to also be a guide so that the reader may live a good life and earn the final and self- fulfilling good on to which all their actions aim.

In the opening lines of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle states, “Every craft and every line of inquiry, and likewise every action and decision, seems to seek some good; and that is why some people were right to describe the good at what everything seeks.” Aristotle often wrote about happiness, but so did Epicurus. In a broad sense, Aristotle and Epicurus touched on similar points when discussing happiness. They both believed that happiness is the ultimate goal in life, and that all human measures are taken to reach that goal. While Aristotle and Epicurus’ theories are similar in notion, a closer look proves they are different in many ways. In this paper, we will discuss the differences between Epicurus and Aristotle in their theories on happiness, and expand on some drawbacks of both arguments. Through discussing the drawbacks with both theories, we will also be determining which theory is more logical when determining how to live a happy life.

Aristotle was one of the great philosophers that proposed that the primary object all humans should strive for is, in fact, happiness; to finally have reason in life. He suggested that one could obtain happiness by acting with virtue or to have a moral character. His philosophy on happiness is something I see while analyzing various religions: that if you're a virtuous person with good morals, good things happen and you can live happily. However, Aristotle added this twist to where happiness is finding value in life and in materialistic things as said from the article The Pursuit of Happiness "For Aristotle, however, happiness is a final end or goal that encompasses the totality of one's life. It is not something that can be gained or lost

Who is Aristotle one may ask? Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who dates back to the year 384 BC. Aristotle was a philosopher who studied numerous subjects and ideas ranging from geology, epistemology, biology, and of course happiness (Aristotle, 2009). Aristotle has a very unique view on happiness that is still looked at the same today, as it was when he first came up with it. Aristotle states that one does not simply become happy after doing a small task or playing with friend for the day. He states that one does not just become happy, but they strive for happiness throughout their entire lives and then have finally achieved it once they have passed (Aristotle, 2009). The main reasoning behind this is that one cannot always be happy by doing one thing, but they must do a number of things in order to strive and reach for that certain level of happiness. For instance, while doing research I came across a great analogy that I thought summed up Aristotle’s view perfectly. The article stated that we cannot claim children are truly happy, any more than we can say an acorn in a tree (Cohen, 2008). That being said, there is so much more to happiness then some think. Sure we may seem happy after hanging out with friends for one day, but there is simply just so much more beyond that when talking about happiness in our lives. Happiness is