The Concept Of Happiness

The Concept Of pleasureHowever slack iodins animation whitethorn be at that place argon times when sensation sessnot help simply skepticism the conveyfulness of it. The subject of death is often a prime example of how people begin to question the value of flavour. termination usu onlyy brings people down and it makes them wonder if there is a meaning to existence or whether the recently deceased found it. In such situations, most of us turn to questions such as What am I doing here? Am I happy? Am I doing the proficient occasion? Am I making a difference? hopefully one does not need to face such extreme events in run to question the meaning of life.In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expresses his opinions about the bit of the military any(prenominal)bodynel being in an attempt to show that the human inviolable is employment in accordance with reason, and in turn this alignment alone is responsible for our gladness which in his view is the highest good, a self suff icient and nett goal for any human being.Along the same lines, in The birth Machine, Robert Nozick is addressing a similar issue, by arguing that pleasure is not the besides thing which matters to us and brings to our attention the fact that there atomic number 18 other(a) factors which contri preciselye to our well-being.In this paper I will explain the objects of both Aristotle and Nozick by exploring the concept of cheer, its role in morality and what I substantiate through ones intention of living a happy and moral life.in short later on reading some Aristotelian material, one screwnot help however notice that Aristotle was a man of science, a very analytical man. It seems that he deeply enjoyed putting things into categories of belonging. Things like the four ca usages, things like his classification of things that ar inorganic and living, and the list goes on. The same applies for his work, Nicomachean Ethics, and as the name implies, this is as polish as we can get to Aristotles code of moral values.Aristotle felt that equity and being active were a means to happiness, which he reckond to be the cosmopolitan goal of every human being. However, since we are all variant, every person has a unique way of achieving happiness and he starts his inclination by bringing this issue into focus. He sets out to investigate what does happiness received mean? Does it mean a warm cup of tea, a well-grounded family or perhaps a good looking partner? Happiness means many things to many people, and that brings into question the meaning of true happiness and what makes something true happiness. Aristotle says that the good we are looking for is apparently one thing in one fulfill and another thing in another, (NE 106a15-17) thereof we concur to identify which is the good in each of these cases (1096a17-19).Aristotle uses medicine as an example where the good would be health, or generalship where the good would be victory, just now in every action and decision it is the break, since it is for the sake of the end that everyone does the other things (NE 1096a20-22). Some, may find this argument problematic and could say that sometimes we do things without a set goal in discernment, and or else do them equitable for the sheer joy of it, but I disagree. Aristotles point seems to be applicable in every situation, since even if the good is not obtained as a distant goal but quite a as an conterminous reward, or at the same time as the action is performed, his argument still holds. For example, listening to music or walking my dog results in pleasure form just the activity alone, in the very routine that the action takes place.He thence proceeds to explain that the highest good has to be complete and cannot be for the sake of something else as that would imply that the latter would bring about the highest. Aristotle says that it must be something complete and self-sufficient, since it is the end of the things pursued in act ion (NE 1097b21-22). This also seems like a very sound point to me. If there is such a thing as a highest good, then we can easily imply that it should be complete and sufficient in itself in order to make a life prime(a)worthy (NE 1097b15).While reading Nicomachean Ethics, I could not help but wonder if Aristotle ever realized the mockery of this vicious circle we seem to be caught in. Most people give out life by going from one compensation to another, trying different experiences, looking for a lover, wife or husband, career or money. I strongly cogitate that one must realize that these are just learned concepts and not something we are born with, and the same applies for our morality.It seems like we reserve a constant need to fill our lives with content, in order to cargo hold us busy and to give us some sort of identity. Its preferably easy to see the cycle that most people constantly go through One feels empty and suddenly disposition arises soon after compensation c omes, boredom sets in and then again one feels empty. I think we should strive to realize that it is not the object acquired that gives satisfaction, but rather that we are satisfied once were at peace, not needing anything. It seems to me that satisfying desire is only a temporary solution and once the initial turmoil associated with the new acquisition is fading, the need to acquire arises again and again. This only turns life into an addicting habit, and while I do believe in true happiness I doubt it can be achieved this way.Nozicks philosophy is similar to this analogy, but rather than just arguing his point methodically, Nozick starts off by put out a thought experiment. This experiment revolves around a conjectural gondola called the experience automobile which is supposed to create a touch on reality for any person that connects to it. The utensil will then sanction the user to experience various pleasures determined for each person by their own individual desires. I n this hypothetical experiment, one would only have to be outside of the machine very briefly, in order to computer programme the desired events and experiences for the next upcoming years of ones life. Another possibility would be for one to map out his entire life in the machine based on a very conservatively conducted survey by superduper neuropsychologists which would guarantee a pleasant experience without having to ever leave the machine (EM p.606).Further, Nozick asks us to overlook certain concerns that would arise, such as who would run the machine if everyone would be plugged in, as it would not change the purpose of the experiment. He then asks if presented with a choice would you choose to plug in? (EM p.606) Nozick opposes the question using a few distinct reasons, namely we want to do certain things, and not just have the experience of doing them (EM p.606) we want to be a certain sort of person and we dont want to be throttle to a man-made reality, to a world no de eper than that which people can construct. (EM p.607)In short, Nozick argues that, if plugging in to the experience machine provides more pleasure, we should simply ensue this idea however that will only happen if pleasure is all that matters to us. Nozicks own reply is that we would not choose to connect to the machine, and thus he concludes that pleasure is not the only thing that matters to us.I believe that, the coiffe provided by Nozick for his own hypothetical experiment, only sounds like a choice one would make simply because it appeals to the human biases against things which are considered artificial. Simply put, a person will not opt for an artificial reality if give the choice, even if it was an joyous experience but that does not mean that one is not seeking pleasure. It may as well be that, the mental gratification received from knowing that one is living a real life is more rewarding than an artificial but pleasant experience. If we carefully examine the values th at people hold we can see how they are just a different form of pleasure. Certain people would easily get pleasure because theyve turned down this machine and feel good because theyve made the right choice. Just because the psychological pleasure one may feel because of the choice made is more subtle than some ecstatic experience, it does not mean that it is not pleasure that one seeks.In my opinion, we are often faced with trials during the course of our lives. These trials sometimes change us and our cognizance of what life really is, which is what I understand through Aristotles function of a human being. He believes reason is what separates us from plants, animals and just about everything else. He calls the man who only identifies with human enjoyment vulgar, because while pleasure is related to happiness it is not the highest good, since one can feel pleasure but might not be happy.To me, this sounds exactly like Nozicks line of thought, but to be honest I dont think Nozicks experiment proves this argument. I believe his experiment may prove that there are several forms and types of pleasures, of which some are very subtle, but Im not convinced of how his experiment is present that we choose other things over pleasure itself. At most, I believe it shows that we like the idea of achieving something ourselves rather than it being given to us, but then again, achievement is just another form of pleasure in itself.Aristotles function argument also states that our unique human function is the use of reason. jibe to him, playing the harp is a harpists function, and is the same as the function of an especial(a) harpist. When virtue is expressed and added to the function, the harpists function becomes playing the harp, while the exceptional harpists function is to play the harp well. Each function is not considered complete until it expresses prudish virtue and a degree of excellence (1098a11-16). Aristotle says that virtue is acquired through the dedicate of any given function, and that people are born only with the potential drop of being virtuous, yet they must act accordingly in order to acquire it.As I see it, Aristotles human function argument is a solid moral code that we should all follow. Given the use of reason is a primary requirement, everything one does need to be analyzed, needs to make sense and needs to be channeled towards achieving happiness. If everyone strives towards the good with this in mind it is hardly possible to do harm or injustice to individual else for selfish or superficial reasons. I believe this is exactly what Robert Nozick was aiming toward in his work as well.My opinion is that life should be accepted as a gift which was given to us or an opportunity rather than striving to turn it into a race of satisfying desires and fulfilling ideas or concepts. I strongly believe life should be simply lived in accord with everything around us and I would encourage anyone to consider the idea that life is not happening to us, but rather that we are happening in life.