Ge 7 Module 2 Unit 3 PDF

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GE 7 MODULE 2 UNIT 3

THE GOOD LIFE


Intended Learning Outcomes
1. This section introduces concepts from Nichomachean Ethics
(Aristotle) and examines issues in contemporary science and
technology using the same philosophical lens.
2. This also tackles the concepts of eudaemonia and arête, and
how these can be used to assess one's relationship and
dealings with science and technology. Furthermore, this
section seeks to answer the question, “Are we living the good
life?”
First, what is happiness?
 In Psychology, happiness is a mental
or emotional state of well-being
which can be defined, among others,
positive or pleasant emotions ranging
from contentment to intense joy.
 To behaviorists, happiness is a
cocktail of emotions we experience
when we do something good or
positive.
 To neurologists, happiness is the
experience of a flood of hormones
released in the brain as a reward for
behavior that prolongs survival.
Is Happiness a destination or a
journey?
 The Hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the
polar opposite of suffering; the presence of happiness
indicates the absence of pain.
 Because of this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life
is to maximize happiness, which minimizes misery.
Is Happiness a destination or a
journey?
 Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for
“good” and “spirit” to describe the ideology.
 Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of becoming
a better person.
 Eudaemonists do this by challenging themselves
intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them
spiritually richer people.
Eudaimonia

 “Good-spirited”
 Coined by Aristotle
 Describes the pinnacle of
happiness that is attainable by
humans
 “Human flourishing”
Eudaimonia versus Hedonia
Eudaimonia

 According to Aristotle, there is an end of all the actions that we


perform which we desire for itself – eudaimonia, flourishing,
or happiness, which is desired for its own sake with all other
things being desired on its account.
 Eudaimonia is a property of one’s life when considered as a
whole. Flourishing is the highest good of human endeavors
and than toward which all actions aim. It is success as a human
being. The best life is one of excellent human activity.
Human Flourishing
 From Nicomachean Ethics – a philosophical inquiry into the
nature of good life for a human being written by Nicomachus
(Aristotle’s son);
 Human flourishing arises as a result of different components
such as:
 Phronesis – the habit of making the right decisions, and taking the
right actions in context, and relentless pursuit of excellence for the
common good.
 Friendship
 Wealth
 Power
Human Flourishing
 In Ancient Greek society, they believed that acquiring these
will surely bring the seekers happiness, which in effect allows
them to partake in the greater notion of hat we call the Good.
 As time passes, elements that comprise Human Flourishing
changed.
 People found means to live more comfortably, explore more
places, develop more products and make more money.
Human Flourishing
 Humans of today are expected to
become “man of the world”.
 Supposed to situate himself in a
global neighborhood, working
side-by-side among institutions
and the government to be able to
reach a common goal.
 Competition as a means of
survival has become a passé ( a
way to call something outdated,
unfashionable)
 Coordination is the new trend.
Eastern versus Western conception
about Society and Human Flourishing

 EASTERN CONCEPTION  WESTERN CONCEPTION


 Focus is community-centered  More focused on the individual
 Individual should sacrifice  Human flourishing as an end
himself of the sake of society  Aristotelian view
 Chinese Confucian system  Aims for Eudaimonia as the
 Japanese Bushido ultimate goal
 Encourage to study literature,
sciences and art for a greater
cause
What is “The Good Life” as perceived
by different Schools of thought?
 Aristotle and the Good Life
 Materialism
 Hedonism
 Stoicism
 Theism
 Humanism
Aristotle and the Good Life
 Compared to his predecessor and teacher,
Plato, Aristotle embarked on different
approach in figuring out reality, Plato thought
that things in this world are not real and are
only copies of the real in the worlds of
forms. While Aristotle puts everything back
to the ground in claiming that this world is
all there and that this world is the only
reality we can all access.
Aristotle and the Good Life
 Aristotle also forwarded the idea that there
is no reality over and above what the
senses can perceive. As such, it is only by
observation of the external world that one
can truly understand what reality is all
about.
 Change is a process that is inherent in
things. We, along with all other entities in
the world start as potentialities and move
towards actualities. The movement, of
course, entails change.
Aristotle and the Good Life

 Look at the plant in the picture. It will eventually germinates


and grows into a plant. The seed that turned to become the plant
underwent change from the potential plant, that is, the seed to
its full actuality.
Aristotle and the Good Life

 This can be likened to what Aristotle says that every human


person aspires for an end. This end is happiness or human
flourishing.
 And no one resists happiness because we all want to be happy.
Materialism
 The first materialists were the atomists in
Ancient Greece. Democritus and
Leucippus led a school whose primary
belief is that the world is made up of and is
controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the
world called atomos or seeds.
 Accordingly, the world including human
beings, is made up of matter and there is not
need to possess immaterial entities as
sources of purpose. Atoms simply comes
together randomly to form the things in the
world. As such, only material entities
matter.
Materialism
 In terms of human flourishing, matter is
what makes us attain happiness. The
material things we possess give us ultimate
happiness.
 We see this at work with most people who
are clinging on to material wealth as the
primary source of meaning of their
existence.
Hedonism
 The Hedonists see the end goal
of life in acquiring pleasure.
 Pleasure has always been the
priority of hedonists. For them,
life is obtaining and indulging in
pleasure because life is limited.
They believe that pleasure give
meaning to their life without
thinking of the future. The
mantra of this school of though
is the famous:
“Eat, drink, and merry for
tomorrow we will die.”
Stoicism
 Another school of though led by Epicurus,
the stoics, exposed the idea that to generate
happiness, one must learn to distance oneself
and be apathetic.
 The original term apatheia, precisely means
to be indifferent. This group believe that
they can do things at their own and believe
happiness can only be attained by careful
practice of apathy.
Theism
 Most people find the meaning of their lives
using God as the fulcrum of their
existence.
 The Philippines, as a predominant Christian
country, is witness to how people base their
goals on beliefs that hinged on some form of
supernatural reality called heaven.
 The ultimate basis of happiness for theists is
the communion with God.
Humanism
 Humanism is another school of thought
espouses the freedom of man to carve his
own destiny and to legislate his own laws,
free from the shackles of a God that
monitors and controls.
 For humanists, man is literally the captain
of his own ship.
 They see themselves not merely as stewards
of the creation but as individuals who are in
control of themselves and the world outside
them.
Humanism
 As a result of the motivation of the
humanists, scientists eventually turned to
technology in order to ease the difficulties
of life.
 Scientists of today, meanwhile, are ready to
confront more sophisticated attempts at
altering the world for the benefit of
humanity.
 Some people now are willing to tamper with
time and space in the name of technology.

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