Aristotle might have found the secret to human happiness.

So why is this nearly impossible to achieve?

Philosophy, Ethics, Happiness, Wisdom. https://www.bdreeves.com/

What is the fundamental purpose of my existence? How should I live? And what is it to live well? These questions preoccupied one of the greatest Western philosophers, Aristotle, who offered an answer that we might now mistake for a tea-shirt slogan: be happy.

But if we dig a little deeper, there are a surprising number of complications to the attainment of happiness that have to do with the simple fact of being human.

Make a list of all the activities you perform in a single day. Choose any one of them and ask: why am I doing this?

According to Aristotle, what you will find is that all of these activities lead to higher states of purpose. Why, for example, do I go to the gym on Mondays, run on Tuesdays and swim on Wednesdays? Each of these separate activities I perform for the sake of something else — in this case, the attainment of ‘health’.

Many of our actions are simply means to these higher ends that Aristotle calls ‘intrinsic goods’ — states of existence that are inherently valuable.

We may think that the purpose of life is to acquire wealth — but this is merely a means to cultivate intrinsic goods like friendship, knowledge, love. We do not go to the movies with our friends for the sake of spending money — it is to engage in the ‘good’ of friendship itself.

A problem arises when we ask: but what is the purpose of health, friendship, knowledge, love?

If we accept the idea that everything we do is for a higher end — there must be an ‘ultimate purpose’ to all of these strivings. Otherwise, there would be no purpose at all. It would be like shooting an arrow but never knowing if we hit the target.

What ‘higher thing’ do all of these intrinsic goods contribute to?

For Aristotle, it is ‘Eudaimonia’ — often translated as happiness or human flourishing.

Eudaimonia is not something we possess. It cannot be purchased in the market place. The fullest life is the one that succeeds in cultivating those intrinsic goods that make life worth living, to their highest levels of excellence, each in harmony with the other.

It may not be surprising that such a state of existence is very difficult to achieve. Sometimes, we neglect one of life’s goods altogether — attaining the knowledge we need to succeed in our careers, we may forget to nourish our souls with art and beauty, or spend proper time with our children or our friends. So much of Eudaimonia depends on the quality of our relationships — yet how often do we fail as parents or lovers to make these flourish?

According to Aristotle, there are far more ways that we can fall into the quagmire of un-fulfilment, than there are pathways to happiness.

The reason we so often fail to flourish is because we tend to inhabit one of two extremes in our responses to ourselves, others and the world — excess or deficiency.

In our friendships we may be too stingy and neglectful at one end, or too generous or demanding at the other. With our lovers we can be excessively jealous or become indifferent. In conflicts with others we can be quick to anger, hold grudges, seek revenge at one extreme, or let ourselves be push-overs, or perhaps too forgiving on the other.

The path to happiness is to find the mid-point between these two extremes.

This is Aristotle’s famous doctrine of the mean.

Just as health requires that we should not eat too much or too little, the same is true for virtues like courage: we can be too timid and fearful or too rash and stupid. Courage lies somewhere between these extremes — we must feel and act appropriately in the face of danger. But how are we supposed to do this?

Aristotle is fond of archery metaphors. To hit a target requires judgments about many factors: our relative distance, experience, strength, position, eye-sight, the glare of the sun. We must also understand the value of why we are aiming at all — is the target even worth it

Likewise, to be courageous I must weigh up the dangers and know what I am facing them for. To leap without looking is foolish. To prove that I am brave by rolling under a moving truck is pointless, especially if I get squashed.

On top of all this, I need self-knowledge.

Someone who is naturally afraid must approach the cultivation of courage differently to another who is rash. They are at least closer to this virtue. But if I am naturally fearful, I will have to anticipate and deal with more powerful feelings and emotions that hold me back.

This is why, for Aristotle, the development of proper emotion is crucial. Virtue requires us to:

…feel…at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way.

But surely this is difficult to do?

I remember as an adolescent feeling it as a real drag to see my ill and elderly grandmother, when I could be at my friend’s swimming pool having fun. Clearly, I was not ‘feeling the right way at the right time’ as the virtuous person would.

For Aristotle, to not feel these conflicts at all is the sign of virtue — because we know what is most important, what is most valuable in any given situation. Of course we should visit our grandmothers!

But don’t we all really feel these duties and responsibilities, these ‘virtues’, to be a drag, when we could be having a good time? The truth is, most of us are still adolescents when it comes to these sorts of conflicts. According to Aristotle, this is because of our natural self-centredness, and our tendency to pursue our own pleasure. The allure of our desires is one of the major impediments to Eudaimonia.

So is Aristotle saying we have to be a ‘grown up’ to be happy? I’m afraid so. And a virtuous one, too.

With Aristotle, you can live a conventional life and still achieve excellence. The demands of virtue operate in every sphere of life, whether it is our job, parenting, friendships or study. The good news is, we have no end of practice because we are always having to live our lives.

Happiness is the culmination of all our virtues giving rise to successful human relationships — if only we learn to master ourselves.

Above all, this remarkable philosopher challenges the simplistic notion that happiness is a state of ease or bliss, or something that can be bought and sold. Aristotle makes happiness itself the greatest challenge.

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B. D. Reeves is a Melbourne-based author, educator and songwriter. His debut YA fantasy novel Jemma and the Raven will be published in August 2023. https://www.bdreeves.com/