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Aristotle Research Paper

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“Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has been rightly declared to be that at which all things aim.” Every human person, from the creation of man to the present day, whether knowingly or unknowingly, has been seeking one thing, one idea, one goal: happiness. From his earliest years, a human being’s natural inclination is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The idea of happiness is a parallel to the idea of an ultimate good, mankind’s highest aim and is defined as a life of excellent function of of the rational faculties. Every man is striving for the good by means of the result of his actions, which are done for a purpose with an end in view.

Everyone …show more content…
His Greek word, eudaimonia, means “living well and faring well.” Instead of happiness as a state of mind, Aristotle uses it to convey an activity: the living of an excellent life. Eudaimonia is placed at the top of the hierarchy as the thing for which all men strive: the excellent life and the ultimate …show more content…
Aristotle’s assertion springs from the assumption that every human person possesses morals and acts upon them, and would exercise common sense when distinguishing the right from the wrong. Unfortunately, many people are ignorant of or refute the idea of an ultimate good, leading to many problematic illusions. Food, wealth, and power, to name a few, can turn into excessive desires of the flesh, which is an example of pleasure, falsely labeled as true happiness. Men strive towards happiness, but fall stray when its false cousin, pleasure, is encountered. Pleasure is then placed on the top of men’s pyramid and sought after. Giving the illusion of happiness, pleasure is a wisp of contented feeling soon to fade away. Satisfactory to no one, pleasure draws the person in, leading to more and more excess, then abandoning the hedonistic victim to indulge and choke on his own delusions. Since nothing is superior to the ultimate good, true happiness is lasting and satisfies all, and should be the highest goal that is acknowledged and sought

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