Edit the paper for the final draft submission Essay

Edit the paper for the final draft submission - Essay Example According to Aristotle, happiness is the highest good that a man can obtain and is achieved by action (Ostwald 59). Aristotle agrees that there are many good things apart from happiness. What makes happiness stand out as the highest good is that it is pursued for its own sake. It is itself an end given that it is sufficient and cannot be utilized beyond itself. For example, you cannot seek happiness so that you get a job. Other good things are pursed for the sake of other things or as a means of obtaining something else. For example, pursuing a job so as to be economically stable or get a nice social class. Hence this job must be utilized so as to obtain the economic stability desired. Aristotle’s theory is based on the reason that each man is aiming at some end. It is this desire that initiates every of their actions. Therefore, living an active virtuous life is the only way to get closer to this desired end. However, these actions are not the ones that will bring happiness. They are just a means of striving towards it. According to him, happiness is some good in which ethical life is centered around hence no one action brings happiness as it also differs for each person. For example, for a poor man, their view of happiness is in riches. As for the rich or when the poor man becomes rich, the focus shifts to honor or power. Therefore, the circle is viscous but finally reaches an end as noted by Ostwald (259). Aristotle differentiates happiness and pleasure. A pleasurable life cannot be equated to a happy life. This is because happiness is acquired by virtuous acts. To support this, he argues that human beings are rational compared to animals hence they can differentiate between pleasure and happiness. In other words, Aristotle argues that happiness is achieved by acting out of virtue. One’s moral actions should lie between the two moral extremes. Men are also supposed to seek truth through contemplation and philosophy. They can