The Good Life

Objective:

 To examine what is meant by “The Good life”

 Identify how humans attempt to attain what is deemed to be a good life;
 Recognized possibilities available to human being to attain the good life.

The Good Life

 Is a term that refers to a (desirable) state that is primarily characterized by a high standard of
living or the adherence to ethical and moral laws.
 The term is also a central concept in the works of Aristotle that are centered around ethics or
Eudaimonia meaning is a Greek word literally translating to the state or condition of 'good
spirit', and which is commonly translated as 'happiness' or 'welfare'.(Wikipedia).

Philosophers who explain what is “Good life”

Socrates and Plato

 primarily define in their works the good life as the examination of life, the mastery of the self
and the contribution to one’s community.
 In his work Apology, Plato gives an account of a speech given by Socrates while defending
himself against allegations of impiety and corrupting the youth in the year 399 BC.
 According to Socrates the unexamined life is not worth living. Living life without ever reflecting
upon it is not worth living.

Aristotle

 best-known work, Nicomachean Ethics, the philosopher adds important insights about the good
life.
 He points out that to most people, the highest good consists either in the acquisition of wealth,
the pursuit of honor or the satisfying of bodily pleasures.
 He concludes that the highest good cannot consist primarily out of these three aspects. Instead,
the highest good should be something that aims to maximize the inherent faculties of man.
What Does It Mean to Live the Good Life?

Emrys Westacott

 Professor of Philosophy at Alfred University, Alfred, New Yor

 Conducted a study about a the What Does It Mean to Live the Good Life? based to what
philosopher said.
 He defines the mean of good life in the following:
a. The Moral life
b. The Life of Pleasure
c. The fulfilled Life
d. The meaning Life
e. The Finish Life

The Moral Life

 One basic way we use the word “good” is to express moral approval.
 Socrates and Plato both gave absolute priority to being a virtuous person over all other
supposedly good things such as pleasure, wealth, or power.

 Socrates in Gorgias – argued it is better to suffer wrong than to do it ,

that a good man who has his eyes gouged out and is tortured to death is
more fortunate than a corrupt person who has uses wealth and power
dishonorably.
 Plato - the morally good person enjoys a sort of inner harmony whereas
the wicked person, no matter how rich and powerful he maybe or how
may pleasures he enjoys, is disharmonious, fundamentally at odds with
himself and the world.
 Many religions also conceive of the good life in moral terms as a life lived according to God’s
laws.

The Pleasure of Life

 The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus was one of the first to declare, bluntly, that what makes
life worth living is that we can experience pleasure.
 Hedonism is the view that pleasure is the good, or, to put I another way, that pleasure is what
makes life worth living.
 The word “hedonist,” when applied to a person, has slightly negative
connotations.
 Epicurus was thought by some of his contemporaries to be advocating and practicing this sort of
lifestyle, and even today an “epicure” is someone who is especially appreciative of food and
drink.
 Epicurus certainly praised all kinds of pleasures. But he didn’t advocate that we
lose ourselves in sensual debauchery for various reasons:
 Doing so will probably reduce our pleasures in the long run since
over-indulgence tends to cause health problems and limit the range
of pleasure we enjoy.
  The so-called “higher” pleasures such as friendship and study are at
least as important as “pleasures of the flesh."
 The good life has to be virtuous. Although Epicurus disagreed with
Plato about the value of pleasure, he fully agreed with him on this
point.

The Fulfilled Life by ARISTOTLE

 If Socrates emphasizes virtue and Epicurus emphasizes pleasure, another great Greek thinker,
Aristotle, views the good life in a more comprehensive way. According to Aristotle, we all want
to be happy.
 He agrees with Socrates that to live the good life one must be a morally good person. And he
agrees with Epicurus that a happy life will involve many and varied pleasurable experience.
 Aristotle’s idea of what it means to live well is objectivist rather than subjectivist.

For instance:

 Virtue: They must be morally virtuous.

 Health: They should enjoy good health and reasonably long life.
 Prosperity: They should be comfortably off
 Friendship: They must have good friends.
 Respect: They should enjoy the respect of others.
 Luck: They need good luck.
 Engagement: They must exercise their uniquely human abilities and capacities.

The meaningful Life

 Recent research shows that people who have children are not necessarily happier than people
who don’t have children
1. Well being of Family especially children and grandchildren
2. Pursuing a particular kind of work with great dedication (scientific research, artistic
creation, scholarship)
3. Devote themselves to a cause – protecting environment
4. Immersion or engagement in a community, church and school

The Finished Life

 The Greeks had a saying: Call no man happy until he’s dead.
 A good example of this Jimmy Saville, the British TV personality who was much admired in his
lifetime but who, after he died, was exposed as a serial sexual predator.

School of Thoughts Philosophers Beliefs

Materialism Leuccippus and Democritus Comfort, pleasure and wealth are
the only highest goals
 Hedonism Epicurus Life is limited, one ,must indulge
itself with pleasures- Eat, drink and
be merry for tomorrow we die
Stoicism Zeno of Citium Virtue is Happiness and Judgement
Marcus Aurelius should be based acts on behavior
rather than words; practical
application
Theism Ultimate happiness is communion
with God.
Find the meaning of their lives by
using God as the creator of their
existence.
Monotheism and Polytheism
Humanism International Humanist and Human beings have the right and
Ethical Union responsibility to give meaning and
shape their own lives- steward of
creation but as individuals who have
control for themselves as well as the
world outside them.

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ACHIEVING GOOD LIFE

Technology leads to a good life as it is responsible for advancement in all sectors of the economy it is
because it provides a means to achieve something faster and in an easier manner technology needs to
be balanced with human labor to achieve something and should not be allowed to overpower humans.

 It saves time
 Save Money
 Improve transportation
 Improve health care
 communication.
 Global access knowledge..

References:

Estardo, A., (2018). “Human Person flourishing in terms of Science and Technology” Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/annaestardo/bspsts-pt4

Prieto,Niela G. , Vega, Violeta A., Felife, Elizabeth F. & Meneses , Julius L. (2019) Science Technology
Society . Manila: Lorimar Publishing Inc.

Perez, J., (2019). “Good Life” Retrieved from

https://www.scribd.com/presentation/418894726/Chapter-6-The-Good-Life
Westacott, Emrys. (2023, April 5). What Does It Mean to Live the Good Life? Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-good-life-4038226

Mueller Steve, (2020, February 3). What is the Good life? Retrieved from
http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2016/what-is-the-good-life

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