Good Life Philosophers and Indeed

Good Life

Philosophers and indeed most curious members of the lay have long been concerned with one topic, so much so that it has become cliche and even trite in many contexts. The quest for the meaning of life, though it has gone by many other names, is probably as old as human consciousness itself, and a general and overarching purpose is still sought by many if not most (and perhaps even all) of the more than six billion individuals that populate this planet on a daily basis. There have been many answers provided to this deceptively simple question, as well, ranging from the purely faith0based and religious to the more logically rigorous and philosophical, yet ultimately what it means to be alive and to lead a successful life in the modern era is something that is still largely a matter of debate. Certain past answers to this question can help guide modern introspection and philosophizing, but they will not provide any direct or complete answers in and of themselves.

Aristotle believed that everything had an essential purpose, and that the better each entity fulfilled that purpose, the "better" it was -- the sharper a knife is, the more it fulfills its essential knifey purpose, and thus the better the knife. For human beings, leading the "good life" consists of fulfilling those purposes that make humans -- in Aristotle's view, being happy by leading an intellectually and morally virtuous and just life. This is similar to Socrates earlier views on the subject as justice being a healthy substance for the soul and can also be seen echoed in Descartes' much later philosophy, in which he asserts that ensuring we actually act in the ways that our intellectual understandings is the best way to achieve "the good life."

These lessons and perspectives can be easily and directly applied to human existence in the modern world in order to determine what the good life is today. First and foremost, today's civilizations and societies are much more highly interconnected and dependent on inter-human relationships than at any other time in recorded history, making it more clear than ever that actions that harm one individual tend to be harmful to society and humanity at large, all other things being equal in the situation. In order for life to be "good" in the Aristotelian view, then -- that is, in order for it to lead to greater happiness through virtuous action -- we must be careful not to inflict any harm on others in this world that is avoidable without causing greater harm elsewhere. Definitions of harm can be tricky and highly personal, of course, but this is a different philosophical and political debate for a different time.

Our modern world has also shown us that human actions have much more far-reaching and complex effects than have been previously thought. We have become so aware of these complexities, in fact, that in our most rational moments we human beings can admit that we do not know the full range of effects that our actions are having on the world. Because of this, leading the good life must also entail trying to limit the unknown and potentially negative impacts of our actions both on the environment and through all of our use and expenditure of the resources we use. Achieving the highest possible level of self-sufficiency is the most effective way to achieve this, and thus finding ways to accomplish all necessary tasks with minimal dependence on other entities and resources is necessary.

The most complex goal that human beings must strive for in order to achieve the good life is their own personal fulfillment. It is here that the uniquely human aspect of Aristotle's framework comes into play: the seeking some sense of "inner fulfillment" appears to be a uniquely human trait, and it truly seems as though there must be a moral imperative to live in a way that attempts to satisfy this drive, or else why would it exist in every (or almost every) human being on the planet? Being happy by performing actions that we find fulfilling is the natural reaction to living up to our best possible selves, and this basic goal defined by Aristotle is still very applicable today. While the other areas of the good life are about limiting the negative impacts that our presence and actions have on the world and those around us, this component is about contributing both to the world and to the self by performing fulfilling actions and refining and enhancing one's ability in areas of activity that they enjoy.