THE GOOD

LIFE
Chapter V
 LEARNING
1 OBJECTIVE
❑Examine what is meant by a good life;
❑Identify how humans attempt to attain what is
deemed to be a good life;
❑ Determine possibilities available to human being to
attain the good life; and
❑Examine shared concerns that make up the good life
in order to come up with innovative, creative solutions
to contemporary issues guided by ethical standard.
 How can the
standard serve as
What standard to guide toward living
the good life in the
be used to midst of scientific
define the Good progress and
Life ? technelogical
advancement ?

Are we
living the
Good
Life ?
LEARNING CONTENT
The definition of the word “good” depends on various factors
and how the context of life differs to every individual. In this
massive world of numerous inventions as time goes by,
science and technology has made life more convenient.
Technological advancements have led to more work
opportunities, finances, health, social and political issues,
education and most importantly on daily living. Moreover, it
also opens more legit explanations on society’s’ myths and
beliefs making people to increase their understanding to
communities salient matters. However, the increasing need
of attaining good life and happiness has also pressing issues
that may touch our foundations on moral and ethical values.
2 INTRODUCTION
Concept of a Good
Life

In Ancient Greece, long before the

word “science” has been coined,
the need to understand the world
and reality was bound with the
need to understand the self and
the good life.
3 DISCUSSION
Concept of a Good
Life

o For Plato, the task of understanding the

things inthe world runs parallel with the job of
truly into what will make the soul flourish. To
understand reality and the external world, man must
seek to understand himself, too.
o The great philosopher was once asked how to live a
good life. He replied that the most important thing
was to “know yourself.” “The first and best victory is
to conquer self,” Plato said. A clear idea of who you
are as a person is vital to a good life. It can help you
make sense of your life experiences, and it will give
you the confidence to take action.
• Knowing yourself will allow you to be true to
yourself. That means living according to your
deepest values and not following the crowd. It also
means developing your inner wisdom and gaining
insight into the human condition. In short, it means
living a good life.
Concept of a Good
Life

It was Aristotle who have a definitive distinction

between the theoretical and practical sciences.

Theoretical science Practical science

• Aristotle included logic, • Aristotle counted ethics
biology, physics, and and politics.
metaphysics, among • the "good" is the end
others goal of the practical ones
• Whereas "truth" is the
aim of the theoretical
sciences
Aristotle and How we All
Aspire for a Good Life

It is interesting to note that the first philosopher

who approached the problem of reality from a
“scientific” lens as we know now, is also the first
thinker who dabbed into the complex
problematization of the end goal of life:
happiness. This man is none other than Aristotle.
.
 PLATO ARISTOTLE
✔ Aristotle puts everything back to the
ground in claiming that this world is all
there is to it and that this world is the
only reality we can all access.
✔ Aristotle, for his part, disagreed with his
✔ Plato who thought that things in this teacher’s position and forwarded the idea
world are not real and are only copies of that there is no reality over and above
the real in the world of forms what the senses can perceive. As such, it
✔ Change is so perplexing that it can only is only by observation of the external
make sense if there are two realities: the world that one can truly understand what
world of forms and the world of matter. reality is all about.
✔ In the world of matter, things are ✔ Change is a process that is inherent in
changing and impermanent. In the world things. We, along with all other entities in
of forms, the entities are only copies of the world, start as potentialities and
the ideal and the models, and the forms move toward actualities. The movement,
are the only real entities. Things are red of course, entails change. Consider a
in this world because they participate in seed that eventually germinates and
what it means to be red in the world of grows into a plant. The seed that turned
forms. to become the plant underwent change-
from the potential plant that is the seed
to its full actuality, the plant.
✔ For every human person, according to
Aristotle, aspires for an end. This end is
happiness or human flourishing. Aristotle
claims that happiness is the be all and
end all of everything that we do.
Happiness as the Goal of a Good Life

In the eighteenth century, John Stuart Mill declared the Greatest

Happiness Principle by saying that an action is right as far as it maximizes
the attainment of happiness for the greatest number of people. At a time
when people were skeptical about claims on the metaphysical, people
could not make sense of the human flourishing that Aristotle talked about
in the days of old. Mill said that individual happiness of everyone should
be prioritized and collectively dictates the kind of action that should be
endorsed. Consider the pronouncements against mining. When an action
benefits the greatest number of people, said action is deemed ethical.
Does mining benefit rather than hurt the majority? Does it offer more
benefits rather than disadvantages? Does mining result in more people
getting happy rather than sad? If the answers to the said questions are in
the affirmative, then the said action, mining, is deemed ethical.
The ethical is, of course, meant to lead us to the good and happy life.
Through the ages, as has been expounded in the previous chapters, man
has constantly struggled with the external world to reach human
flourishing. History has given birth to different schools of thought, all of
which aim for the good and happy life.
 SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS
4 ON GOOD AND HAPPY
LIFE
MATERIALISM

The first materialists were the

atomists in 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 atoms or seeds. Accordingly,
the world including human beings, is made up of matter and
there is no need to possess immaterial entities as sources
of purpose. Atoms simply comes together randomly to form
the things in the world. As such, only material entities matter.
In terms of human flourishing, matter is what makes us attain
happiness. The material things we possess give us ultimate
happiness. We see this at work with most people who are
clinging on to material wealth as the primary source of meaning
of their existence.
HEDONISM

The word is derived from the Greek

hedone (“pleasure”), from hedys (“sweet”
or “pleasant”).The Hedonists see the end goal of
life in acquiring pleasure. Pleasure has always been the priority
of hedonists. For them life is obtaining and indulging in pleasure
because life is limited. They believe that pleasure give meaning
to their life without thinking of the future. The mantra of this
school of thought is the famous, “Eat, drink and merry for
tomorrow we will die. Led by Epicurus, this school of thought
also does not buy any notion of afterlife just like the
materialists.
 STOICISM

Another school of thought led by Epicurus,

the stoics, exposed the idea that to generate
happiness, one must learn to distance oneself
and be apathetic. The original term apatheia, precisely means to be indifferent.
These group believe that they can do things at their own and believe that
happiness can only be attained by a 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
The ideas conveyed by the ancient Stoics have found new life in recent years.
More and more people are discovering how Stoicism is not only relevant to modern
times, but can be applied in very simple, yet strong ways.
1. Keeping stress at bay
2. Don’t let anger bully you
3. Dealing with difficult people
4. Use the obstacles in your life
5. Learn how to fail
 THEISM

Most people find the meaning of their lives using God as a

fulcrum of their existence. The ultimate basis of
happiness for theists is the communion with God. The
world where we are in is only just a temporary reality
where we must maneuver around while waiting for the
ultimate return to the hands of God.
HUMANISM

Humanism as another school of thought

espouses the freedom of man to carve his own
destiny and to legislate his own laws, free from the
shackles of a God that monitors and controls. For
humanists, man is literally the captain of his own ship. As
a result of the motivation of the humanist current,
scientists eventually turned to technology to ease the
difficulty of life.