The Good Life PDF

 What is meant by the word “GOOD”?  Etymology : Proto-Germanic word “Godaz” which means fitting or useful.  Other meanings: “virtuous,” “valuable,” “useful,” “pleasing,” and “beneficial”. What is a Good Life According to Plato?  is characterized by self-knowledge, moral vi...

 What is meant by the word “GOOD”?  Etymology : Proto-Germanic word “Godaz” which means fitting or useful.  Other meanings: “virtuous,” “valuable,” “useful,” “pleasing,” and “beneficial”. What is a Good Life According to Plato?  is characterized by self-knowledge, moral virtue, and the pursuit of truth.  It involves striving for excellence in all aspects of our being and seeking harmony between our individual goals and the well-being of society.  By cultivating wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice within ourselves, we can attain genuine happiness and lead a fulfilling existence.  Aristotle’s View of the Sciences  THEORETICAL SCIENCES – includes BIOLOGY, PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY , METAPHYSICS and others. The main aim of theoretical sciences is to seek the “TRUTH”.  PRACTICAL SCIENCES – includes ethics and politics. GOOD is end goal of practical sciences Good is the attainment of Human Flourishing. What is a Good Life According to ARISTOTLE?  A GOOD LIFE requires virtue and morality, but a human’s happiness should be based on the pursuit of a variety of pleasant experiences.  Aristotle’s concept of the good life refers to the highest aims of a human being.  This quality is called eudaimonia, and it is often translated as “well-being” or human flourishing.  EUDAIMON - “life favored by god”  The good life is considered pleasant to a man of virtue, and moderate behavior, with appropriate appetites, is pleasant. HAPPINESS as the Goal of a Good Life  The GREATEST HAPPINESS PRINCIPLE by John Stuart Mill.  An action is right as long as it maximizes the attainment of happiness for the greatest number of people. The GHP holds that we should pursue actions that produce the greatest amount of overall happiness in the world, not just maximize our own happiness.  School of Thoughts on Good and Happy Life  1. Materialism - The first materialists were the atomists in Ancient Greece. Democritus and Leucippus led a school whose primary belief is that the World is made up of and is controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the world called “Atomos or seeds.  In terms of Human Flourishing, matter is what makes us attain happiness. We see this at work with most people who are clinging on to material wealth as the primary source of the meaning of their existence.  2. Hedonism  The Hedonists, for their part, see the end goal of life in acquiring pleasure.  Pleasure has always been the priority of Hedonists. For them, life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure because life is limited.  The mantra of this school of thought is the famous, “Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow We Die.”  Led by Epicurus, this school of thought also does not buy any notion of the afterlife just like the materialists.  3. Stoicism  Another school of thought led by Epicurus, the Stoics espoused the idea that to generate happiness, one must learn to distance oneself and be apathetic. The original term, “apatheia”, precisely means to be indifferent. for the Stoics, happiness can only be attained by careful practice of apathy. We should, in this Worldview, adopt the fact that some things are not within our control. The sooner we realize this, the happier we can become.  4. Theism  Most people find the meaning of their lives using God as a fulcrum of their existence.  The Philippines, as a predominantly Catholic country is a witness to how people base their life goals on beliefs that hinge on some form of supernatural reality called Heaven.  The ultimate basis of happiness is Communion with God.  The world we are in is only a temporary reality that we have to maneuver around while waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of God.  5. Humanism Humanism as another school of thought espouses the freedom of man to carve his destiny and to legislate his laws, free from the shackles of a God that monitors and controls. For Humanists, man is the Captain of his ship.  Humanists see themselves not merely as stewards of the creation but as individuals who are in control of themselves and the world outside them.  Scientists of today meanwhile are ready to confront more sophisticated attempts at altering the World for the benefit of humanity. Choose the things that will make you happy and the people around you to HAVE A GOOD LIFE