The Good Life

Paper Summary:

Both Plato and Aristotle had conceptions of the good life as something to be sought by the philosopher - both to explain and to achieve. Aristotle was Plato's student, but the two had differing opinions on a number of matters in their writings. The paper shows that, in general, Aristotle agreed with Plato that everything in this world strives toward the Good, though each defined the Good in his own way. Aristotle created a teleological system in which everything had to be striving toward some ultimate and concrete perfection that exists as the Telos, or goal. The paper explains that Aristotle called this the Prime Mover, the cause of the universe, not as that which started the universe but as that to which the universe is moving as the Final Cause. This is identified as pure activity, and the activity involved is pure thought. The paper shows that Plato also holds that the good life involves the application of reason and that philosophy is the highest form of inquiry and so the route to the good life.

From the Paper:

"Plato expresses his views through the character of Socrates, and, though Socrates was a real figure, it is never clear in the dialogues whether Plato is reporting what Socrates said or putting words into the older man's mouth. In any case, Socrates in the dialogues represents the primary social value of inquiry, of the pursuit of truth through philosophy, of the examination of the meaning of life, and of the quest for the good. Socrates also represents integrity, for when we inquire into the meaning of existence and develop a set of beliefs, we then have to live up to those beliefs and put thought into action."

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