Unit 1 Discussion Board Deliverable: Length 2–3 Paragraphs

Unit 1 Discussion Boarddeliverable Length: 2–3 paragraphs Details

The discussion board (DB) in online learning encourages active participation from students and instructors to foster meaningful dialogue. Students must post an original response to a given open-ended question and respond to at least two other students’ posts during the week. The first post should be made before midnight (Central Time) on Wednesday, with two additional responses afterward. The purpose is to facilitate learning through sharing ideas related to course content. Posts submitted after the week ends are not accepted.

The assigned topic explores Aristotle’s view on happiness and the good life. Aristotle asserts that everything has a primary purpose or end—an acorn’s purpose is to grow into an oak tree, and an airplane’s purpose is to fly. For humans, the primary purpose is to develop reason and intellect, which leads to happiness and living the good life. He observes that most people equate happiness with pleasure, wealth, or honor, but philosophers believe happiness is more about fulfilling one’s highest potential or purpose. Aristotle suggests that true happiness arises from intellectual contemplation and developing reason.

Paper For Above instruction

Aristotle’s conclusion that the good life is achieved through intellectual contemplation remains a profound philosophical insight that continues to influence contemporary thought. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle posits that the highest human good, or eudaimonia, is attained through the cultivation of reason and intellectual activity. This perspective emphasizes that intellectual development and contemplation are inherently fulfilling and lead to true happiness because they align with our nature as rational beings. Moreover, rational activity is considered to be an end in itself—an activity engaged in for its own sake—making it inherently valuable and capable of providing lasting satisfaction beyond fleeting pleasures or material gains. Aristotle’s focus on intellectual virtue underscores that genuine happiness is rooted in internal qualities rather than external circumstances, making his conclusion both timeless and compelling.

However, it is important to recognize that other ways of life can also bring happiness. For many individuals, happiness may be linked to fulfilling social roles, engaging in meaningful relationships, pursuing personal passions, or achieving artistic and athletic excellence. For example, some might find happiness in community service or family life, where emotional connections and contributions to others provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment. These paths recognize that happiness is multifaceted and not solely dependent on intellectual contemplation. Different individuals may prioritize different aspects of life, leading to diverse conceptions of happiness rooted in personal values and cultural backgrounds.

Regarding the divergence between the philosopher’s and the common person’s notions of happiness, Aristotle suggests that ordinary individuals often equate happiness with transient pleasures, wealth, or honor—external and mutable good. The average person’s definition tends to favor immediate gratification or societal status because these are tangible and easily recognized sources of well-being, whereas philosophers seek a deeper, more stable form of happiness grounded in virtue and inner development. This distinction stems from differing ways of understanding what constitutes a fulfilled life—externally or internally. The discourse about the good life falls primarily within the branch of ethics, specifically moral philosophy, which examines questions concerning virtue, the nature of happiness, and how humans should live. Ethics seeks to discern the standards for a morally upright and fulfilling existence, aligning closely with Aristotle’s approach to identifying the highest good for humans.

References

• Baird, F. E., & Kaufmann, W. E. (2000). Ancient philosophy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Aristotle. (2000). Nicomachean Ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Focus Publishing.
• Annas, J. (2011). Ethics and the articulate life. Harvard University Press.
• Bratman, M. (2000). Practical reasoning and the good life. Harvard University Press.
• Kupperman, J. J. (2013). The philosophy of happiness. Routledge.
• Feldman, F. (2000). Endurance, happiness, and the good life. Oxford University Press.
• Honderich, T. (Ed.). (1995). The Oxford companion to philosophy. Oxford University Press.
• Schopenhauer, A. (2004). The world as will and representation. Routledge.
• Streams, M. (2004). The good life: A guided meditation. Routledge.
• Waterfield, R. (2011). Aristotle’s ethics. A & C Black Publishers.