Virtue, a Means to Happiness

I took a class at Monticello Class called "Introduction to the Great Books" Course I, were we studied portions of the works of Plato, Aristotle, and Aristophanes. As part of the class I was required to write a paper. I highly recommend this class to anyone wanting a deeper Liberal Arts education.

Aristotle's School

Virtue, a Means to Happiness

By Celeste Batchelor

                The pursuit of happiness is often believed to be the ambition and purpose of each human being. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America states that the pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right given by our Creator to all men. But what is the pursuit of happiness? What makes one happy?

                Aristotle views virtue as the ultimate means of gaining happiness in Nicomachean Ethics when he says, “Since happiness is an activity of soul in accordance with perfect virtue, we must consider the nature of virtue; for perhaps we shall thus see better the nature of happiness.” Modern society seems to view virtue in terms of sexual purity, while Aristotle and Plato attribute virtue to mean all basic morality.

Plato in his work, Apology, follows Socrates trial where he entreats the jury and spectators that his purpose is to “persuade every man among you that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom before he looks to his private interests.” Virtue leads one to happiness and should precede private interests of career, politics, and social status. One might argue that social status and career lead to happiness, but it is missing the purest sense of happiness. Socrates was a poor man whose social status was viewed as high by only a few, yet he embodies happiness with his life to the very end.

                But what is virtue? Is it as Aristotle and Plato suggest the basic moral acts of every human being? Or, is it as modern society would have us believe, simply sexual purity? “By human virtue,” states Aristotle, “we mean not that of the body but that of the soul; and happiness also we call an activity of the soul.”

If virtue is of the soul it must also incorporate that of thought and action relating to everything that has to do with one’s soul. Aristotle further states, “Virtue too is distinguished into kinds of accordance with this difference; for we say that some of the virtues are intellectual and other moral.” Having intellectual morality is to make correct or right decisions, which in turn, lead to correct and right actions.  

Aristotle argues that happiness is to be gained through virtue and that happiness is God-given and also earned by “learning or training”. Thus, virtue is an act which can be taught to individuals to help them in their personal search for happiness. Right action, or virtue, leads to more happiness.

The pursuit of happiness differs from person to person. One person has great wealth and prosperity, while remaining determinedly unhappy. Yet another person lives happily in a shack with the bare essentials of life. The loss of the correct definition in modern society’s determining virtue as simply sexual purity may be the downfall of our nation. Without properly defining virtue as a means to happiness as the philosophers and “lovers of wisdom” of old taught, we may very well lose the ability to pursue humankind’s most prized attribute in life. Will your life be one of virtue?