Lesson 2-STS (Midterm)

MIDTERM Time Allotment: Week 6
LESSON 2. THE GOOD LIFE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
1. Explained the concept of good life.

2. Identified how humans attempt to attain what is deemed to be a good life.
INTRODUCTION
Everyone is in pursuit of good life. We do certain things because we want to

achieve a life which will make us happy and content. By studying and working hard,
we try to attain this goal not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones and the rest
of humanity. People’s definition of the good life may vary and differ in the particulars.
In general, however, we recognize universal truths that cut across our differences.
Lesson Proper
It was Aristotle who gave a definitive distinction between the theoretical and
practical sciences. Among the theoretical disciplines, Aristotle included logic, biology,
physics, and metaphysics, among others. Among the practical ones, Aristotle counted
ethics and politics. Whereas “truth” is the aim of the theoretical sciences, the “good” is
the end goal of the practical ones.
It is interesting to note that the first philosopher who approached the problem
of reality from a “scientific” lens as we know now, is also the first thinker who dabbed
into the complex problematization of the end goal of life: happiness. This man is none
other than Aristotle.
Compared to his teacher and predecessor, Plato, Aristotle embarked on a

different approach in figuring out reality. For Plato, change is so perplexing that it can
only make sense if there are realities: the world of forms and the world of matter. For
Plato, this can only be explained by postulating two aspects of reality, two worlds if
you wish: in the world of matter, things are changing and impermanent; in the world of
forms, the entities are only copies of the ideal and the models, and the forms are the
only real entities. Things are red in this world because they participate in what it means
to be red in the world of forms.
Change is a process that is inherent in things. We, along with all other entities
in the world, start as potentialities and move toward actualities. The movement entails
changes. Every human being moves according to some end. Every action that
emanates from a human person is a function of the purpose (telos) that the person
has. No individual-young or old, fat or skinny, male or female resists happiness. We
all want to be happy. Aristotle claims that happiness is the be all and end all of
everything that we do. He claims that to be happy is human flourishing, a kind of
contentment in knowing that one is getting the best out of life. A kind of feeling that
one has maxed out his potentials in the world, that he has attained the crux of his
humanity.
In the eighteenth century, John Stuart Mill declared the Greatest Happiness
Principle by saying that an action is right as far as it maximizes the attainment for
happiness for the greatest number of people. Mill said that individual happiness of
each individual should be prioritized and collectively dictates the kind if action that
should be endorsed. The ethical is, of course, meant to lead us to the good and happy
life.
SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
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.
For Democritus and his disciples, the world, including human beings is made up of
matter. There is no need to posit immaterial entities as sources of purpose. Atomos
simply comes together randomly to form the things in the world. In terms of human
flourishing, matter is what makes us attain happiness. We see this at work with most
people who are clinging on to material wealth as the primary source of the meaning of
their existence.
HEDONISM. See the end goal of life in acquiring pleasure. Pleasure has always been
the priority of hedonists. For them, life is about obtaining and indulging in pleasure
because life is limited. The mantra of this school of thought is the famous. “Eat, drink,
and be merry for tomorrow we die”. Led by Epicurus, this school of thought also does
not buy any notion of afterlife just like the materialists.
STOICISM. Led by Epicurus, the stoics espoused the idea that to generate happiness,
one must learn to distance oneself and be apathetic. Apatheia, precisely means to be
indifferent. For the stoics, happiness can only be attained by a careful practice of
apathy. We should in this worldview adopt the fact that some things are not within our
control. The sooner we realize this the happier we can become.
THEISM. Most people find the meaning of their lives using God as a fulcrum of this
existence. The Philippines, as a predominantly Catholic country, is witness to how
people base their life goals on beliefs that hinged on some form of supernatural reality
called heaven. The ultimate basis of happiness for theists is the communication with
God. The world where we are in is the only just a temporary reality where we have to
maneuver around while waiting for the ultimate return to the hands of God.
HUMANISM. 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.
Inspired by the enlightenment in seventeenth century, humanists see themselves not
merely as stewards of the creation but as individuals who are in control of themselves
and the world outside them. This is the spirit of most scientists who thought that the
world is a place and space for freely unearthing the world in seeking for ways on how
to improve the lives of its inhabitants.
NICOMACHEAN ETHICS AND MODERN CONCEPTS OF GOOD LIFE
Aristotle, an important ancient Greek philosopher whose work spans from

natural philosophy to logic and political theory, attempted to explain what the good is.
His definition may be useful in our pursuit of the truth.
All human activities aim at some good. Every art and human inquiry, and similarly
every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason, the good has
been rightly declared as that at which all things aim.
Everyone is moving towards the good. Thus, completing one’s studies,

training for a sport, or takin g arrest is good. The good expressed and manifested in
many various ways for different persons and circumstances. The good life, however,
is more than these countless expressions of what is good. It is characterized by
happiness that springs form living and doing well.
The ancient Greeks called this concept of “living well and doing well” as
eudaimonia. The word came from the Greek word eu meaning “good” and daimon
“spirit”. Taken together, it generally refers to the good life, which is marked by
happiness and excellence.
Furthermore, happiness is the ultimate end of human action. It is that which

people pursue for its own sake. Happiness defines a good life. This happiness,
however, is not the kind that comes from sensate pleasures. It is that which comes
from living a life of virtue, a life of excellence, manifested from the personal to the
global scale.
Virtue plays a significant role in the living and attainment of the good life. It is
the constant practice of the good no matter how difficult the circumstances may be.
Virtue is the excellence of character that empowers one to do and be good. Such virtue
is cultivated with habit and discipline as it is not a one-time deed, but a constant and
consistent series of actions. Everyone has the capacity within himself/herself to be
good, but he/she also has to be disciplined to make a habit of exercising the good.
Virtuous actions require discipline and practice. The good life is marked by happiness
brought about by virtuous human actions and decisions that affect the individual self
and the greater community. It is characterized by a life of flourishing of oneself and of
others. The good life does not happen in a bubble where only one person is flourishing,
others have to be in it, too.
Virtue, then, being of two kind, intellectual and moral, intellectual virtue in the main
owes its birth and growth to teaching (for which reason it requires experience and time), while
moral virtue comes about as a result of habit.
The onward progress of science and technology is also the movement towards
the good life. S & T are one of the highest expressions of human faculties. They allow
us to thrive and flourish in life if we so desire it. Science and technology may also
corrupt a person, but grounding oneself in virtue will help him/her steer clear of danger.

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MIDTERM Time Allotment: Week 6

LESSON 2. THE GOOD LIFE

At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

1. Explained the concept of good life.

Everyone is in pursuit of good life. We do certain things because we want to

Compared to his teacher and predecessor, Plato, Aristotle embarked on a

MATERIALISM. The first materialists were the atomists in Ancient Greece.

Aristotle, an important ancient Greek philosopher whose work spans from

Everyone is moving towards the good. Thus, completing one’s studies,

Furthermore, happiness is the ultimate end of human action. It is that which

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