Module 2:

STS and the Human Condition

Lesson 6:
The Good Life

Prepared by: Mr. Joey Estorosos

Introduction
What is the “Good Life”?
• It is living comfort and luxury with few problems or worries.
• It is characterized by happiness from living and doing well.
Anything we call good, because it is the means to living and
doing well.
• People have different ideas of what constitutes the good life.
Wrong pursuits may lead to tragic consequences while
correct pursuits lead to flourishing.
An Enigmatic Scenario

• Many people aspire to be healthy, yet there are still a

significant number of people who consume junk food.

• Although people desire happiness, many do actions that bring

to their own misery.

• Most of the thrills you experience undoubtedly cause you harm

as well.
A Desire to be Happy

• The fact that everyone desires more happiness and prosperity

is undeniable.

• Knowing how to maximize both happiness and success is a

really wonderful thing.

• Many self-help books and happiness trainers are on the market.

Danger Facts

• There are several danger concerns involved when happiness

becomes an individual's primary objective.

• The pursuit of pleasure is not governed by a set of universal

principles that integrate spirituality, purpose, and morality
(the Golden Rule)
The Golden Rule

• Confucius: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do

unto others.

• Aristotle: We should behave to others as we wish others to

behave to us.

• Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains thyself.

• Christianity: Do unto others as you would have them do unto

you.
The Wrong Pursuit

• Many people have found that pursuing the good life has
resulted in unhappiness and self-destruction.

• They live for selfish enjoyment and prosperity without a moral

compass or a desire to achieve inner virtue.
King Solomon’s Quest

• When God gave King Solomon “a wise and understanding

heart”, he began searching for the meaning and purpose of life
apart from God.

• This give us an account of the futility of life without trust in

God. The world will never be enough: “The sight is not satisfied
with seeing, nor the ear with hearing” (Eccl. 1:8).

• Nothing in the world can fill the spiritual void that exists within
us. When reality sets in, dreams are frequently crushed.
Circumstances and Faith

• Bad things happen to good people.

• Reversal of fortune; turn of events.

• Lack of opportunity to pursue PERMA, the 5 core elements of

happiness, Positive Emotions, Engagements, Relationships,
Meaning, and Accomplishments. (Seligman, 2011)
Correct Pursuit

• The path to happiness and prosperity is not self-centered.

• Sustains us between inspiration and despair.

• Happiness and flourishing be a our back door entry to joy and

thriving.

• The ability to turn adversity into an opportunity for personal

growth and development.
Aristotle and the “Good Life”

• For Aristotle, Morality is the

study of the good life.

The good life include;

➢ good choices
➢ good actions
➢ good habits
➢ good character
https://www.biography.com/scholar/aristotle
But what is “The Good”?

• For a Man to be considered a “Good Man”, he should function

well to his specific operations;
Intellect - to think
Will - to choose
Hence, a good man reasons well and chooses well.
What is “Happiness”?
• In ethics, happiness is a kind of prosperity and good luck that brings
external goods to our life – material and bodily goods;
Bodily goods - health, vitality, good looks, dexterity
Material goods - wealth, friends, political power, noble birth, clothes

• For Aristotle, Eudaimonia is an objective standard of happiness,

based on what it means to live a human life well in accordance with
Virtue. Though material and bodily goods are necessary for
eudaimonia, they are not its essential elements. To attain
eudaimonia, we must have and use the goods of the soul;
Goods of the soul - knowledge, skill, love, virtue, self-esteem and honor

• Money does not always buy happiness.

Eudaimonia

• Eudaimonia is not a state of mind or is it simply the experience

of joys and pleasures.

• Is a term that combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit"
to describe the ideology. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the
pursuit of becoming a better person.

• Aristotle divides the virtues into moral virtues and intellectual

virtues.

• Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually

or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer
people.
Intellectual and Moral Virtue

• Being intellectually excellent is another aspect of eudaimonia.

• To make decisions, you need a combination of reason and

desire; excellent intellectual virtue implies good thinking, and
good moral virtue means good desires; the two together lead
to good decisions that will enhance your life.

• Aristotle describes a virtue as a “mean” or “intermediate”

between two extremes: one of excess and one of deficiency.
Example: On the battlefield, courage is measured by how much we let
fear limit or modify our actions. It is the mean between cowardice and
haste.
Moral and Intellectual Virtues of Aristotle

1. Prudence (wisdom) - Knowing what is the morally right choice to make.

The ability to apply moral principles to concrete situations.
2. Understanding - (Greek nous, intuitive mind), it is the habitual knowledge
of primary self-evident truths that lie at the root of all knowledge.
3. Temperance - Moderates the pleasures of touch (the pleasures of eating,
drinking, and sexual activity).
4. Courage - Having the strong will to having the disposition to do what it
takes to live a good life.
5. Justice - Allows us to have friends and enjoy the benefits to enjoy the
benefits of cooperation .
Aristotle, Happiness and Virtue

• For Aristotle, happiness results from the fulfillment of one’s

human nature and not something that comes from outside rather
more of an inside job.
• Since one’s nature is fulfilled or perfected by the virtues, then it
follows;
Repeated activity leads to habit. A virtue is a habit that makes us
good. Similarly, a vice is a bad habit that disposes us to what is
evil or deficient.
• By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and so on, a
person develops honorable and moral character. By honing
virtuous habits, people will likely make the right choice when
faced with ethical challenges.
 According to Aristotle, happiness is goodness or virtue. If a
person has cultivated the virtues of Prudence, Understanding,
Justice, Courage, and Temperance, such a person is good. And a
good person is a happy person.
It’s not having a wife/husband, children, house, and a good job that will
make one happy, since many who have such things remain unhappy.
Only a virtuous person will be able to be a good husband/wife, a
good parent, and a person committed to the good of the state.
It isn’t doing what you want that renders one happy, but being
good or virtuous, that is, having good character. It is impossible for a
virtuous person to be unhappy. And this is “The Good Life”.

-----The End----
Prepared by: Mr. Joey Estorosos
References

https://www.quora.com/How-does- Aristotle-argue-for-his-position-on-a- meaningful-or-good-life

https://www.pursuit-of- happiness.org/history-of- happiness/aristotle/
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-good-life-4038226
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/perma-model/
https://bible.org/seriespage/37-ecclesiastes-1-kings-2-chronicles-proverbs-solomon-reflects
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/
https://reasonandmeaning.com/2013/12/19/aristotle-on-the-good-and-meaningful-life/
Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing in Ethics and Human Dignity by Christopher Ryan Maboloc).
Manila, 2010. Rex Bookstore pp 15-23

Prepared by: Mr. Joey Estorosos