Eudaimonia

We are studying Aristotle’s Ethics in my ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ class right this week. I always enjoy teaching it, and I think my students generally find him more worthwhile than most of our philosophers. 

Generally, I think that Aristotle would reject the notion that Happiness involves “living in the moment.” Happiness is a result of living a full and complete life, and that one cannot ‘have happiness’ in one moment and not in the next. However, an older student of mine made a point that, although doesn’t change my mind about Aristotle says in general, calls for a modification. 

Much of Aristotle’s  seems to demand reflection of the past and planning of the future. But I have perhaps been neglecting the proper place of absorbing those experiences of the present as well. To soak in a moment, and direct one’s consciousness only on the details of that second is a type of reflection as well. Furthermore, it is not just one type among many, but a special type. Those sensations of the immediate/present strike us more vividly than any memory or prediction ever can. And with the strength of the sensation, a type of experience becomes available that would not be available in memory or prediction. 

I believe Aristotle would still reject the notion that happiness is merely living in the moment. However, living in the moment might be something that I (I don’t know about most Aristotelians, or Aristotle himself) might be underappreciating as a good that heavily contributes to the enhancement of the chief good. With that, we have more vivid memories to reflect back upon. 

When I joined the Marine Corps, one of the motivating factors was that, when I am old and looking back on my life, will I have appreciated my life more or less by joining or not joining? I thought that certainly, I would be happier in my reflections if I joined. And I am. That period of my life was not a waste.  That experience was vivid and lively, constantly in motion.

But what about life now? And what about the direction in which I am going? Will I look back on this and feel satisfied? Am I living my life as vividly as I ought to? Or am I feeling constantly rushed? Constantly anticipating and planning for the next moment? Perhaps I am. I have felt so harried of late. Despite the fulfillment I feel in teaching philosophy, something about life seems empty and soulless…like Bell’s Brewery’s ‘Hopsolution.’

I love tying philosophy in with beer.