Eudaimonia and Function Arguments Flashcards
(9 cards)
What is Aristotle’s view on human nature and how does it relate to eudaimonia?
-Aristotle believed humans are “rational animals” because our ability to reason sets us apart from other beings
-For Aristotle, this reasoning capacity is essential for achieving eudaimonia, a Greek term meaning flourishing or true happiness. Eudaimonia is not a fleeting feeling like pleasure, but a lasting state of fulfilment that arises when we:
1)Live in accordance with reason, which he saw as the unique function of humans
2)Act with virtue, helping us live a balanced and meaningful life
What is the Rational Soul (according to Aristotle)?
-The Rational Soul is the part of the human soul responsible for reason, intellect, and understanding
-Aristotle believed it distinguishes humans from animals
-It is where intellectual virtues are developed, and its proper functioning leads us towards eudaimonia (flourishing). It allows us to learn, reflect, and make decisions through logic and education
What is the Irrational Soul?
-The irrational soul is the part of the soul responsible for our desires and emotions
-Although it doesn’t reason itself, it can be guided by the rational soul. It’s where moral virtues are developed, helping us control impulses and behave ethically
What is the role of reason in Aristotle’s view of human life?
-Aristotle believed that reason is the highest and most important part of human nature
-It allows us to engage in science, understand reality, and make sense of life
-Using reason well is what sets us apart from other beings and leads us to live in line with our unique human function
-For Aristotle, a good life, eudaimonia, is achieved when we live according to reason, which is why he saw it as the key to human flourishing
What is Theoria (contemplation) and why does Aristotle see it as the highest good?
-Theoria, or contemplation, is the intellectual virtue of thinking deeply to understand truth
-Aristotle saw it as the highest good for humanity because it uses our intelligence purely and fully. It is done for its own sake, not for money, status, or success
-Contemplating truth gives lasting joy, has intrinsic value, and can be done anytime
-Since it expresses reason in its purest form, Aristotle argued that it brings the greatest happiness and is the highest route to eudaimonia
What is Eudaimonia?
-Aristotle believed that eudaimonia is the supreme goal of human life. Often translated as ‘happiness’ or ‘flourishing’, it does not refer to a fleeting feeling but to a life of virtue and the full realisation of human potential over time
-He argued that eudaimonia is achieved by becoming virtuous through practice
-Central to this is our ability to reason, especially through contemplation (Theoria), which Aristotle described as the highest use of our intelligence and the greatest good for humanity
-He argued that every action aims at some good, but only eudaimonia is “perfect and self-sufficient”, meaning it is pursued for its own sake and not as a means to something else
-This makes it the superior aim, in contrast to subordinate aims like studying to get a job, which serve other ends
What are subordinate and superior aims according the Aristotle?
-Subordinate Aims»
These are goals we pursue as a means to something else. For example, we study to get good grades, or we work to earn money..
-Superior Aim»
this is the ultimate goal, the one we pursue for its own sake, not to get anything else out of it. For Aristotle, this aim is eudaimonia (happiness or flourishing). It is self-sufficient and complete, the end to which all other actions point.
What is Aristotle’s function argument?
-Aristotle’s Function Argument states that everything has a telos, a final cause or purpose, and that something is good when it fulfils its telos properly
-For human beings, our unique function is reason, since it is what separates us from plants and animals
-Therefore, the good life for a human is one that involves acting in accordance with reason
-Just as the telos of a knife is to cut well, the telos of a human is to reason well and to use that reasoning in virtuous ways
-Aristotle explains that the good life is not found in simply eating, reproducing, sensing, or moving, which we share with other forms of life, but rather in that “in which we as humans reason well”
-This, for him, is how we achieve eudaimonia, a life of flourishing and true fulfilment
What is Aristotle’s hierarchy of souls?
-Aristotle believed that all living things have souls, and he organised them into a hierarchy based on their functions:
•Nutritive Soul»Found in plants responsible for growth, nutrition, and reproduction.
•Sensitive Soul»Found in animals. Includes the functions of the nutritive soul, plus sensation, movement, memory, and desire.
•Rational Soul» Unique to humans. Includes all lower functions, but adds reason, reflection, and moral understanding
-The rational soul is what sets humans apart and allows us to pursue virtue and achieve eudaimonia
