In point of fact, that which defines eudemonia today is different from what defined the same centuries ago. This is the main reason why some of the views of different philosophers are applicable to different extents in the contemporary world. Speaking of eudemonia, Aristotle and Epicurus are among the most noteworthy philosophers. On the topic of the relationship between eudemonia and virtue, the two philosophers agreed to a certain extent. For instance, they both subscribed to the fact that the two concepts had a positive relationship. However, they differed at some point with Aristotle arguing that virtue was a constituent of eudemonia and Epicurus contending that virtue was achieving happiness and eudemonia (Evans 173). This paper seeks to explicate why Epicurus views of happiness and eudemonia are more applicable in today’s society than those of Aristotle.
The presumption that Epicurus views are more applicable in the world today is echoed by the reality that Epicurus’ ethics is based on hedonism. Hedonists believe that pleasure is the only thing that is intrinsically valuable or good (Pawelski and Moores 46). This means that a state of affairs or an object will only be considered good if it is good for what it and not what it does. This can analogically be explained as: consider a person that works extremely hard, working late and even on weekends. If asked why they work so hard, the person may reply, ‘I want to get money, so that I can afford to buy an expensive car’. From this analogy, the object with the intrinsic value is the car. The work and the money are only instrumentally valuable. For this reason, Epicurus’ views remain valid to date because they explain why something must be used as a means of long term happiness.
Epicurus’ ideas on happiness and eudemonia can be summarized in the thesis: eudemon life is the same as pleasurable life. The main reason why Epicurus’ ideas prevail in today’s society is because he warns that people should not endeavor to pursue any and every pleasure. On the contrary, he says, people should seek those pleasures and sources of happiness that are maximized in the long run. According to Epicurus, some pleasures are not worth pursuing as they are short-lived, and are bound to bring more harm than good (Evans 176). Consider a case of smoking marijuana or such drugs as methamphetamine in today’s world. Undoubtedly, such abuse of drugs yields pleasure. However, the pleasure is some kind of short term gratification which can bring about more pain than happiness. As a matter of fact, a person can be arrested and forced to spend years behind bars. Essentially therefore, the short term gratifications bring more pain than happiness.
Further, Epicurus explains that some pains are worth taking. For instance, he believes that some pains bring greater pleasure in the long run. Considering the case of a person that works long hours, such an individual may accumulate enough money, even if it takes years, to build a big house and afford to buy an expensive car. Such pains as hard, legitimate work are worth taking according to Epicurus. This is exactly what is happening in the contemporary world. It is a matter of common knowledge that Epicurus’ ideas are the foundations of today’s social norms because most of the sources of short term gratification such as drug abuse, such crimes as rape and so on, are not sources of true happiness (Pawelski and Moores 67). On the contrary being virtuous and taking the worthwhile pains rewards in today’s society.
Works Cited
Evans, G R. Belief: A Short History for Today. London [u.a.: Tauris, 2006. Print.
Pawelski, James O, and D J. Moores. The Eudaimonic Turn: Well-being in Literary Studies. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2013. Print.
