The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the similarities and differences of theory about happiness between Aristotle and The Stoics. Through this comparison, I would like to clarify that The Stoics influenced by Aristotle, has revealed inherent...
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the similarities and differences of theory about happiness between Aristotle and The Stoics. Through this comparison, I would like to clarify that The Stoics influenced by Aristotle, has revealed inherent limitations in aristotle’s theory of happiness and attempted to overcome them in its own way.
In this dissertation, the scope of the study for the comparison of two theories is set as follows. Aristotle's theory of happiness is limited to his well-known ethical work, Nicomachean Ethics, from Volume 1 to Volume 10, Chapter 6 for ease of discussion. The Stoic theory of happiness is limited to the early Stoic schools in consideration of vast periods and scholars, and it will be focused mainly on work of Cicero and Diogenes Laertius.
The main body of this paper consists of a structure that outlines Aristotle's and Stoic theories of happiness in general in Chapters 2 and 3, respectively, and then directly compares the two schools in terms of Stoic theory of happiness, which reveals Aristotle's limitations in Chapter 4. In order to clearly reveal the points of the two schools, each section from chapter 2 to 4, which is the subject of comparison, was organized by item and developed in order. here, the items that serve as the standard for comparison are obtained from Aristotle's definition of happiness. Aristotle describes happiness as “the activity of the soul in accordance with excellence” in the first volume of Nicomachean Ethics, and proceeds with the subsequent content under this agenda. In this regard, I set “Excellence”, “Soul”, and “Activity” as standards, after that extracted ideal types that were similarly revealed from the Stoics for comparison, and summarized the two schools' theories of happiness in Chapters 2 and 3.
According to Aristotle's theory of happiness, which is defined as “The activity of the soul in accordance with excellence," all humans act for the purpose of good and happiness is located at the highest level of such good. For human beings, happiness is understood to be the best thing among the good things pursued in itself. Aristotle explored the unique function of human beings and saw that the success or failure of human happiness depends on the 'Excellence' in which human reason is best exercised. Through the activities of the soul accordance with excellence, humans are promised the most complete, stable and enduring happiness. However, Aristotle, who adheres to common sense, admits that happiness can not be achieved only with excellence, and explains that appropriate external good must be given in addition to excellence for happiness.
According to The Stoic theory of happiness, which is described as “Life accordance with virtue” or “Life accordance with nature,” all beings are designed by nature and given natural principles. So the beings are ordered to act appropriately according to them. However, unlike other beings, humans are endowed with additional rational abilities by nature, so they become the only being who can truly understand nature and contribute to its purpose. Only human beings are explained as beings capable of realizing the harmony of nature and act in a way that fully consistent with it, that is, accordance with virtue. The Stoics explain a person who act virtuously according to nature as a ultimate model of human beings as a happy person. Such a virtuous man considers everything rationally, so he is not swept away by emotional thoughts, and he could always be happy because he maintains apathetic attitude. He is always happy, regardless of any misfortune or external good, because he acts accordance with virtue in all things and accepts the result indifferently.
Aristotle and The Stoics share a common view in that they identify happiness through daily observation and assume happiness as the highest purpose given to human beings. Moreover, they both agree that happiness is not just a simple psychological satisfaction, but rather it is a certain state of soul and the right behavior for happiness, emphasizing it as certain state that humans can achieve through excellence or virtue.
However, the two schools differ in the way they regard “Excellence or Virtue”, “Soul”, “Action” in happiness. Aristotle explains that external good must be given in addition to excellence for happiness, whereas The Stoics say that happiness is satisfied only by virtue. Moreover, Aristotle divides the soul into two parts and values the performance of excellent activities itself and its results, while The Stoics do not distinguish the soul and only value the actions if it is performed by virtuous people or not, and do not care about the results.