Eudaimonia

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that eudaimonia is the Greek term for happiness in a broad notion, which suggests prospering and flourishing. The author points out that, if eudaimonia means a completely good life both in material and spiritual terms, then Aristotle is correct and eudaimonia is impossible to achieve without basic material possessions. However, the paper concludes that Aristotle may have had something entirely different in mind when he mentioned the word eudaimonia than what is understood today because something important may have been lost in translation.

From the Paper:

"Eudaimonia is applied to all human beings so long as they have the basic pre-requisites. It must be mentioned that while Aristotle felt that happiness works the same way for all human beings, he was not essentially bundling up all humans in one category. He understood very well the stations of life that each person may be in but what he meant by eudaimonia being same for all was simply grounded in the way it could be achieved. Aristotle fully understood that eudaimonia couldn't be achieved without some essential material goods and he knew that they were not available to all."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aristotle. Ethica Nicomachea. Trans. W.D. Ross. Rpt. in The Basic Works of Aristotle. Ed. Richard McKeon. New York: Random House, 1941. 935-1112.
• Heinaman, R. Rationality, eudaimonia and kakodaimonia in Aristotle. Phronesis, 38 (1). pp. 31-56. (1993)
• Christopher Lotito, Aristotle and the Doctrine of the Mean. Drew University, 2002

More papers on Eudaimonia:

• Analytical Essay # 140292 : "Aristotle's Eudaimonia"
• Essay # 31739 : "Eudaimonia"
• Essay # 23239 : "Nicomachean Ethics"

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