Happy" Life for Philosophers Aristotle

¶ … happy" life for philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus. In what ways are they most similar and most different? Which view do you believe works best? Could this "better" system be improved by adopting some aspects of other systems? Happiness is an essential part of every life, but happiness can mean different things to different people, as these two philosophers clearly indicate. Happiness should be a goal for everyone, and these two philosophers illustrate how to achieve it, though in differing ways, and with different outcomes.

Happiness is not the same concept to everyone, and Aristotle and Epicurus are no exceptions. Epicurus, who lived between 341 and 271 B.C., was an Athenian philosopher whose main theory centered on happiness and how to achieve it in life. He believed happiness would come if people did not fear death, took care of themselves, and did not indulge in desires that were not necessary (155). He felt that people were able to create, and must create, their own happiness, that it was not dependent on others.

He writes, "We must then meditate on the things that make our happiness, seeing that when that is with us we have all, but when it is absent we do all to win it" (Epicurus 155). Epicurus' theories included theories on death, the gods, and immortality. He was also a scientist of sorts, and a wise man who taught in Athens on ethics and the sciences.

Epicurus also felt the most significant thing in life was one's own satisfaction, which is why today, Epicureanism means a type of over-indulgent food lover who is passionate about their own pleasure, especially as it relates to food and drink. He even writes about food when discussing happiness.

He states, "And so plain savours bring us a pleasure equal to a luxurious diet, when all the pain due to want is removed; and bread and water produce the highest pleasure, when one who needs them puts them to his lips" (Epicurus 157). Clearly, everything Epicurus believed in revolved around pleasure and happiness, and creating happiness as a part of life everyday. One of humankind's biggest fears is death, and because of this fear, many people do not live happy lives because they spend so much time worrying about death.

Epicurus believes death is "nothing," and so, there should be no worry about it. He writes, "So death, the most terrifying of ills, is nothing to us, since so long as we exist, death is not with us; but when death comes, then we do not exist. It does not then concern either the living or the dead, since for the former it is not, and the latter are no more (Epicurus 156).

By not fearing death, people can life more fruitful and fulfilling lives, and, as Epicurus continues, live lives filled with pleasure, not fear and pain. This is also far different from Aristotle's beliefs. He barely mentions death, and when he does, it is with the conjecture that only the dead have attained true happiness, which he then rebukes. His belief is that happiness begins in the soul, and that happiness is a state, like virtue and honor (Aristotle 29).

Thus, fear of death should not be considered in happiness in Aristotle's beliefs, while it is key in Epicurus' beliefs. Death and desire are intertwined, and Epicurus feels that desires can be good and bad. Too many desires unfulfilled can make people unhappy, and desiring the wrong things can make people unhappy, too.

He states, "We must consider that of desires some are natural, others vain, and of the natural some are necessary and others merely natural; and of the necessary some are necessary for happiness, others for the repose of the body, and others for very life" (Epicurus 156). Learning to recognize the difference between desires that are natural and those that are not will also add to a happier and more fulfilling life.

Finally, Epicurus believes we make our own happiness, and we are in control of our lives, and how we live them. Some things are attributable to chance, but the rest are all under our own control. He notes, "with us lies the chief power in determining events, some of which happen by necessity and some by chance, and some are within our control" (Epicurus 157). He believes that men who live according to his standards will be "gods" among men, and will live better, happier lives than those who do not.

Pleasure is the most important thing in life, but pleasure comes from moderation and maturity, rather than excess and irresponsibility. Life is a balance, and we must learn to create our own balance, to create happier, more meaningful lives. This is in direct opposition to Aristotle, who believes ultimate happiness is god-given, and out of man's control.

He writes, "If there is anything that the gods give to men, it is reasonable that happiness should be god-given, especially since it is so much the best thing in the human world" (Aristotle 15). This does not give man any credit or control over his own happiness, and this seems very far removed from the logical and scientific mind of Aristotle.

If man cannot create his own happiness, then what can he control? In contrast, Aristotle often writes more like a mathematician and scientist that Epicurus, and his philosophies are more convoluted and technical. Aristotle's like to happiness is the "human good," and the greater good. He writes, "For even if the good is the same for an individual as for a city, that of the city obviously a greater and more complete thing to obtain and preserve" (Aristotle 4).

Thus, while pleasure and happiness are paramount, they must always be achieved though honorable ways and they must always represent the good of the many, rather than the good of the few. This is one area where Aristotle and Epicurus differ, because Epicurus believes that if man finds pleasure singly, then, he will spread it, and it will affect others. For example, if man is good to his neighbor, he will reap rewards and his neighbor will reap rewards, too.

If man is rude or mean to his neighbor, then his neighbor will be mean or rude to him, and no one will reap the rewards. Aristotle also believes in living good lives, but he makes it seem simpler. He states, "the happy person lives well and acts well, for we have claimed that happiness is pretty much a kind of living well and acting well" (Aristotle 13). In this, he totally agrees with Epicurus, but for the good of the whole, rather than the good of each individual.

Aristotle agrees that happiness means different things to different people. He writes, "both the masses and sophisticated people call it happiness, understanding being happy as equivalent to living well and acting well. They disagree about substantive conceptions of happiness, the masses giving an account which differs from that of the philosophers" (Aristotle 5).

This seems to give an air of superiority to Aristotle, and makes him seem rather snide and arrogant when it comes to degrees of happiness between the "masses," and "sophisticates." There is none of this division in Epicurus' writing, and in fact, he seems to convey the thought that all men are equal, and have the same capacity for happiness and well being.

In addition, Aristotle compares happiness with the political life especially, and notes that only the "meanest" people find happiness in enjoyment, that it comes from other things in life, such as virtue, honor, and good. Yet, he notes the real meaning of happiness is something else. He writes, "Happiness in particular is believed to be complete without qualification, since we always choose it for itself and never for the sake of anything else" (Aristotle 10-11).

However, Epicurus believes we do choose happiness for something else, for pleasure, and for the well being of all. He writes, "If every pleasure could be intensified so that it lasted and influenced the whole organism or the most essential parts of our nature, pleasures would never differ from one another" (Epicurus 158). Pleasure and happiness are intertwined for Epicurus, but happiness and pleasure are not for Aristotle, and in fact, Aristotle seems to make finding happiness more of a particular job, while Epicurus seems to make it a lifelong journey.

Many of these two men's thoughts are quite similar, and yet, they do have many different ideas about the same topic, as this analysis clearly shows. Aristotle was the more scientific of the two thinkers, while Epicurus' words seem more emotional and heart-felt. Aristotle also seems to look down a bit on "the masses," as he calls them, and feels they have a different concept of happiness than the philosophers (Aristotle 5).

Aristotle's thoughts are more detailed, and certainly more comprehensive, but it seems that Epicurus was the happier of the two men, somehow. His analysis and thoughts do not break men down into classes, and his thoughts are easier to follow, and to live by. Ultimately, his system seems to the best for a number of reasons, including ease of understanding. Aristotle is clearly trying to define happiness while still noting how to live happily, while Epicurus is simply giving advice on how to live a happy life.

Happiness certainly means different things to different people, as these two men show, but Epicurus seems to have a deeper understanding of it, while Aristotle is still struggling to define it, before he can live it. As a reader of both philosophies, it seems Epicurus was a just man who wanted happiness for everyone, while Aristotle was a snob, who felt the "masses" did not understand the true nature of happiness. They were shallow, and could not possibly lead fulfilled and happy lives.

That alone makes Epicurus' beliefs more appealing and more equitable for.