Write an argumentative essay ont the role of happiness in Aristotelian ethics and Utilitarianism
Sample Solution
Happiness has been a central theme in both Aristotelian ethics and Utilitarianism. In Aristotelian ethics, happiness is seen as the ultimate goal in life – the highest “good”. This idea is based on the concept of eudaimonia, which is often translated as “human flourishing” or “the good life”. According to Aristotle, one should aim for a particular kind of virtuous character (or ‘excellence of character’) that will bring about greater levels of happiness in oneself and others. The key virtues are courage, temperance, justice, wisdom and friendship.
Sample Solution
Happiness has been a central theme in both Aristotelian ethics and Utilitarianism. In Aristotelian ethics, happiness is seen as the ultimate goal in life – the highest “good”. This idea is based on the concept of eudaimonia, which is often translated as “human flourishing” or “the good life”. According to Aristotle, one should aim for a particular kind of virtuous character (or ‘excellence of character’) that will bring about greater levels of happiness in oneself and others. The key virtues are courage, temperance, justice, wisdom and friendship.
In contrast, Utilitarianism takes a more practical approach to defining happiness – it does not rely on any abstract ideal like eudaimonia but instead suggests that pleasure is what constitutes true human flourishing. According to utilitarianism, one should maximize pleasure while minimizing pain by making decisions with an eye towards producing the greatest amount of benefit overall (i.e., maximizing utility). As such, individuals should act so as to bring about the most beneficial outcome for society as a whole rather than just themselves or their own immediate circle of family and friends.
Despite these differences in approach between Aristotelian ethics and Utilitarianism when it comes to defining what constitutes happiness or human flourishing; they agree that it plays an important role in moral decision-making. For Aristotle, this means pursuing virtue and excellence of character – something he believed would lead naturally to true contentment or genuine joy – whereas for utilitarians this means acting always with an eye towards producing maximum benefit for all impacted parties without compromising individual rights or interests unnecessarily.
Overall then there appears much common ground between Aristotelian ethics and Utilitarianism when it comes to how they view the role of happiness in moral decision-making. Both require us to think critically about our actions prioritizes certain goals above others – such as seeking out virtue over short-term gain – if we are truly aiming at achieving lasting contentment or genuine joy over time
