Aristotle on Happiness

1 Starting point
„Every art or applied science and every systematic investigation, and similarly every action and choice, seem to aim at some good; the good, therefore, has been well defined as that at which all things aim.“ (1094a1)
Everything and everyone is directed towards a good, everything has an end (or purpose): a knife to cut, a car to drive etc. Also actions of people have an end: health of medicine, boat of boatbuilding, victory of generalship etc. A good boatbuilder is one making good boats etc.

2 Happiness
However, the different goods are not all equally important. There is a hierarchy of the goods. The highest good of them is eudaimonia: happiness, living well (doing well) or perhaps best translated as human flourishing. This is the central subject of the Nicomachean Ethics: happiness is pursued as an end in itself and everyone strives towards it. (Moral and intellectual virtues and pleasure are pursued as end in themselves as well as for happiness’ sake.)

3 Definition of Happiness
“Happiness is a certain activity of the soul in conformity with perfect virtue.” (1102a5)

“The soul of an animate organism ... is nothing other than its system of active abilities to perform the vital functions that organisms of its kind naturally perform, so that when an organism engages in the relevant activities (e.g., nutrition, movement of thought) it does so in virtue of the system of abilities that is its soul.” (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/#4)

Necessity to understand our nature ("Know Thyself!")
Aristotle provides two definitions of the human being:
a)“zoon logon echein” and b) “zoon politicon”
a) Everything has a function, so do human beings. Human function is "logos", which is the characteristic that distinguishes him from other beings.
b) “man is by nature a social and political being” (1097b11 a)
Importance of man leaving the "oikos" an engage others in the "polis".

4 Further Key Sentences on the relation of happiness, virtue and rationality
- “The proper function of man, then, consists in an activity of the soul in conformity with a rational principle.” (1098a6)
- “The good of man is an activity of the soul in conformity with excellence or virtue.” (1098a15)

5 Happiness and External Goods
Aristotle denies the view that prosperty equates with happiness. Although the possession of external goods is necessary for a happy and virtuos life.
- for a virtuos life: wealth and health is required to perform virtuos actions (e.g. generosity requires a certain amount of money, courage requires health to excercise it)
- for a happy life: “If we look utterly repulsive or are ill-born, solitary and childless” we can not be said to be happy. (1099b4)