Throughout the history, there have been heated discussions on what constitutes a good life. Philosophers have given different annotations on the meaning of good life based on their beliefs, perspectives or even scientific-based evidences. Some view a good life as an accumulation of material goods that brings “large amount” of pleasure to oneself. On the other hand, Mencius and Aristotle advocate good life as possessing of pleasure that incorporates ethical values and they believe that by doing so one will experience enduring happiness. There is no ultimate right or wrong for these interpretations since this is not a factual question. Therefore, rather than giving an accurate definition of a good life, this essay will focus on expressing my …show more content…
The fact that humans cannot live by their own without social intercourse entails the individuals’ need for affectionate bonds, including biological ties with family members and emotional attachment with friends. It is suggested that the desire to pursue such intimate relationship are naturally driven by oneself to fulfill his psychological needs and lead them to attain a meaningful life (Ryff, 1989). Mill’s theory of Utilitarianism also claims that deep friendship is one of the higher pleasures that human requires to experience true happiness. In our lives, we often hear people feeling unhappy, although they obtain a great amount of wealth and power because they lose their family and friends in the process of acquiring these aspirations. On the other hand, for some people who may not possess so much money or social recognition, they cherish the close relationship among their family and friends and usually experience greater happiness. The affiliation with these important communities encourage people to face challenges in their life and are inevitably the key reason for most individuals to achieve success. Therefore, the existence of positive relationships is essential for human to gain life satisfaction as well as emotional …show more content…
On the contrary, the acquisition of a good life should rather focus on achievement of an overall balance between an individual with the surrounding world, with practice of fostering good relationships with others and self cognition. The positive development of psychological wellbeing therefore will lead to enduring happiness, which is the ideal outcome of a good
How to live a good life is imperative for countless people. In the Mengzi, Chinese philosopher Mencius explains how to live the good life by way of living the social life. It is in my view that the social life is the most convincing because it demonstrates how we as humans are cultivated into living a full, happy life. In Mencius’ view, living the social life is identified as living as a truly happy person because you fit into society and have fully cultivated sprouts.
Some people would measure it in money, in their successful life. Some others would measure it in good relationships or peace of mind. In “The Bedford Guide for College Writers”, chapter 29, every essay has its own aspect to describe what does a living well life mean. In the essay “Rice,” Lahiri talks about the significance of her father’s dish—pulao and what it really means to her—his unique creation, but also traditional; while the essay “Getting It All Done” by Gareth Cook, it discusses about
In my art I added many photos and details that pertain to the definition of a good life. Since there is various components to it such as living an examined or non examined life as explained by Socrates in the reading. Having time to evaluate our life is a piece of our quilt which may vary person to person. Ultimately every person 's quilt will be different but as a whole they will all be beautiful with their own meaning. In one of the reading it explained the good life through Hellen Keller, Gandhi, Martin Luther King jr.
Susan Wolf’s book, Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, is a collection of her lectures and her own philosophical views on what makes a life meaningful. There is no doubt that life is meaningful, but what gives it meaning? Most people, if asked the question, “what is your life's meaning” would say “to be happy.” Wolf shuts down this answer, and states that living a happy life is not equivalent to living a meaningful life. For example, Mother Theresa and Ghandi did not always live a happy life, but their lives were very much meaningful.
Healthy relationships can caused unity; however, the unhealthy friendships can be destroyed and cause harm and death such as in this
Once upon a time success was principally determined by a person 's academic and professional qualifications, however in today 's highly connected world, the region a person chooses to live and work in also has a momentous impacts on his success. I opine that while native regions have a very meager impact on his success, the successful person can have a remarkably affect the region they belong to. To begin with, there are myriads of reasons to support my ideas. The first and foremost one is, that if we want to achieve our goals and aims in life, then we have to follow positive environment in life, however if we are in erroneous environment then it is very arduous to achieve our goals and aims in life.
However, I oppose this line of thought and argue that at times utility and pleasure friendships are paramount to one’s happiness
It is critical to recognize Mill’s argument that a degree of contentment can exist in periods of less happiness. However, Aristotle’s view of perceiving wellbeing or goodness as ultimate is more pronounced. Worth emphasizing, Aristotle deeply explores his arguments basing them on functions of a rational man and virtues out of habits. Today, a virtuous citizen is one whose actions are inward, in response to conscience and moral obligations as a member of society. Such a person, not waivered with intensities of pleasures, honor, and wealth but seeks to have a satisfactory level of happiness with friends, co-workers, and family among other
John Stuart Mill writes, “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” in his book Utilitarianism. The meaning of this quote varies based on what makes an individual satisfied or dissatisfied. The “good life” is the life a person would like to live as well as what makes them better off. Would having a “good life” mean that a person is content, or does virtuosity make one happy?
The word friendship is a very well-known word in every person’s vocabulary. For some the word may bring back some very painful memories of betrayal, and for others it might bring back memories of cheerfulness. While friendship is a word tossed out to nearly any passerby with whom people exchange names with, it truly is found between individuals who have sought out one another for help or guidance on a regular basis. As such, friendship is dependent upon responsibility, trustworthiness, and a value above other relationships. Friendship is a word most people are all familiar with, and most of us assume everybody has friends.
The Good Life and Pirsig’s Quality The Good Life to me is a concept that compares directly with Pirsig’s Quality. I believe that the Good Life is an idea that people strive to obtain, but obtaining it can never be accomplished. Because of this, people use the concept of the Good Life as a form of inspiration in their lives. Having this form of inspiration in our lives gives us something to strive for, and can prove to be beneficial. The Good Life also proves to be a concept that can be difficult to define.
A person can display a happy personality when they have experienced virtues. A virtuous life is based on your moral choices. If we make the right choices in life, we will eventually become a virtuous person, who will eventually not need to make choices when a moral issue happens again in life. When a human has accomplished this, the human life is complete. Aristotle emphasized the idea that happiness, is the end of a life.
After taking this class I would define a good life as making a positive difference in someone else’s life. It could be that throughout life you did simple gestures as saying hi or holding a door open to a grand gesture of saving a life, I believe if you made a positive difference and you feel good about the life you lived then it was a good life. A good death as someone being at peace with who they are and what they have done. I think it’s important that the dying person have no regrets in their life and that when they lay on their death bed they are comfortable with the life they have lived.
At the end of everyone’s lives, the goal appears to be about attaining happiness. Describing how to obtain happiness has been an issue that was debated in the past but is still talked about now . In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expands on his view of happiness and he focuses particularly on how reason helps recognize and pursue what will lead to happiness and the good life. I feel that Aristotle’s philosophies on happiness are important works within the field of philosophy and he considered one of the………of it . In this paper, I will explore Aristotle’s beliefs regarding happiness then compare and contrast them to those of Martin Seligman.
In other words, the good life means to me when life looks like a blessing than a burden. This essay aims to provide more than one answers about what makes people live a good life mean. Human beings, since their apparition is often misleading, what it is really mean a good life. We have been seen on the television or magazines that having a good life means being rich or famous when many of them, in reality, are miserable by a problem that wouldn’t affect ordinary people. Personally, I believe that there are many factors that should be considered when it comes to a good life.