Human Flourishing and Eudaimonia

• Human flourishing is the endeavor to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment
  • It occurs within the context of a larger community
  • It includes access to a pleasant, engaged, good, and meaningful life
  • It involves doing what one ought to do and what one wants to do concurrently
• Aristotle views human flourishing as the greatest good of human endeavors, the aim of all actions

Eudaimonia

• Derived from Greek words "eu" (good) and "daemon" (spirit)

• In literature, it refers to human flourishing and a contented state of happiness, health, and prosperity

• Epicurus saw eudaimon life as a life of pleasure coinciding with virtue

  • He understood it as a continuous experience of pleasure combined with freedom from pain and distress

• Socrates considered virtues like self-control, justice, courage, wisdom, and piety as crucial for a good and happy life

• Pyrrho, founder of Pyrrhonism, stated that achieving ataraxia (equanimity) is a way to achieve Eudaimonia

Happiness

• Defined in psychology as a mental/emotional state of well-being

  • Characterized by positive or pleasant emotions from contentment to intense joy

• Behaviorists view it as a cocktail of emotions experienced when doing something good or positive

• Neurologists define it as a flood of hormones released in the brain as a reward for behavior that prolongs survival

• Hedonistic view: happiness is the polar opposite of suffering, indicated by the absence of pain

  • Hedonists believe the purpose of life is to maximize happiness and minimize misery

• Eudaimonia combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit"

  • Defines happiness as pursuing the goal of becoming a better person
  • Challenging themselves intellectually or engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer helps eudaimonists become happy

• Eudaimonia is "good-spirited"

  • It describes the pinnacle of happiness attainable by humans
  • Coined by Aristotle
  • Refers to human flourishing

• Aristotle proposes actions have an end goal which is desired for itself - eudaimonia, flourishing, or happiness

  • These things are desired for their own sake with all other things being desired on their account

• Eudaimonia is a property of one's life when considered as a whole

  • Flourishing is the highest good of human endeavors, the aim of all actions, and success as a human being
  • The best life is one of excellent human activity

Human Flourishing Components

• The Nicomachean Ethics is a philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good life by Aristotle's son, Nicomachus
• Human flourishing results from components like
  • Phronesis: making right decisions and actions in context, pursuing excellence for the common good
  • Friendship
  • Wealth
  • Power
• Ancient Greeks believed acquiring these components would bring happiness and participation in "the Good"
• Elements comprising human flourishing have changed over time
• Humans are expected to be "man of the world" in a global neighborhood, working to reach a common goal
  • Competition is passé; coordination is the new trend

The Good Life

• Everyone is in pursuit of a good life, doing things to achieve a happy and content existence
• Plato expresses that understanding the world runs parallel with understanding what will make the soul flourish
  • In understanding reality and the external world, man seeks to understand himself
• A flourishing life is filled with meaningful endeavors that empower a person to be their best
  • A student studies well and fulfills academic demands
  • An athlete trains hard and wins competitions

Happiness as the Goal of Good Life: Schools of Thought

• Materialism - Democritus & Leucippus
  • The world consists of indivisible units called atomos/seeds
  • Only material things matter
  • There is no afterlife
  • Matter makes people happy, which explains why they cling to material wealth as a source of meaning
• Stoicism
  • Apatheia leads to happiness in the sense that you are indifferent
  • Acknowledging that some things are beyond our control leads to happiness
• Hedonism
  • Acquiring pleasure is the goal of life
  • The motto: "Eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we die."
• Theism
  • Communion with God is the basis of happiness
• Humanism
  • Humanists think of themselves as individuals in control of themselves and the world, inspired by the Enlightenment
  • Most scientists improve the lives of the planet's inhabitants by freely unearthing the world

Virtue

• Happiness defines the good life, derived from living a life of virtue and excellence
  • Virtue empowers one to do and be good, cultivated with habit and discipline
  • This is not a one-time deed but a constant series of actions
• The progress of science and technology moves society towards a good life and expresses human faculties
  • Grounding in virtue helps steer clear of danger should science and technology corrupt