Comment
Judging by his views on happiness, Aristotle was not a philosopher. He was a brilliant philosopher and an extremely wise man. The distinction between people's desires that he made is smart and straight to the point – we seek ends not the means. As Aristotle pointed out the only end that can be found in all humans’ activities, desires, and aspirations is happiness. It is the only end point that we seek for. While we may get distracted throughout our journey by the images or the surrogates of this end, such as honors, fortune, or passion, all of these are the means that we think will bring us happiness. And that happiness itself lies in living in accordance with virtue. However, there is an, even more, important inference from Aristotle's work – everyone is on their individual path towards their wisdom, and very important inferences can be obtained just by pondering deeply on the subject.
Response
Aristotle, Plato’s greatest disciple, inherited his teacher’s wisdom and developed it further by concentrating on specific topics. While Plato covered a broad range of philosophical issues (almost all aspects of life were covered by his philosophy), Aristotle, in his turn, elaborated more on narrower areas of knowledge and wisdom and added depth to Plato's teaching while arguing some of his inferences (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In particular, his view of happiness is very strong and profound, especially considering the epoch in which he lived in and the context of his philosophical conclusions. Indeed, during the Medieval ages, Aristotle was the only philosopher whose teachings were widely used by the church, and he was referred to as simply "The Philosopher" (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). The discovery of the nature of happiness is one of his key findings. Aristotle wisely pointed out that higher happiness lies not in amassing money or gaining honor but in exercising virtues which are akin to contemplation. The right deeds and right attitude create happiness and not the external objects. In this light, the nature of happiness itself becomes much clearer as it gets sharply distinguished from the mere perception of pleasure which is exhibited by the animals. Happiness, in contrast, is a much higher, brighter, and sophisticated feeling, and comes not from the sensory input but from within oneself. It is ruled only by the actions and reason of a person.
Happiness as a balance between the vices of excess and deficit is a concept deserving special attention. Aristotle states that there are good and bad traits and actions. While the bad ones do not act towards one virtue, the good ones build up virtue only when being practiced in just the right amount. This amount is in the balance between two poles of deficit and excess. It is, however, not the arithmetical mean of the boundary values, it just lies in the middle and is different for every occasion and individual. Such approach is easy to grasp and gives the freedom of action and stimulates personal ethical conception development and overall personal growth. On the other hand, it is not easy to interpret it precisely to obtain mathematically correct guidance. No wonder, that this concept lied in the foundation of the whole ethical system. Aristotle's philosophy is especially valuable for that it can be easily applied to everyday life even now (more than after 2000 years).
Works Cited
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,. "Aristotle". Iep.utm.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
