Happiness Ancient and Modern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Happiness Ancient and Modern - Essay Example Aristotle, the greatest of all philosophers, stressed upon the need to lead a life of virtue, and Stephen Augustus White in his book Sovereign Virtue, says that Aristotle was adamant that ‘in any circumstances, the virtuous, find life more satisfying than other people do† and make better lives for themselves in spite of their â€Å"modest good fortune.†(Page xi) According to Aristotle’s theory on happiness, he says that in order for a human being to achieve a state of happiness, he has to achieve the happiness that is most suited for a human being. In his opinion, happiness is not just a state of mind but it is a sort of disposition that involves our activities and experiences throughout our lives. The ancient view of happiness was shaped by the usefulness of man for his fellow beings, and based itself on such abstract qualities as ‘wisdom, kindness and goodness† .  Moreland and Issler find that the modern view of happiness is nothing more than instant gratification, and very often this depends upon the attitude of others towards us. Other modernists often equate happiness in the modern world to what we do and the road we take towards achieving predetermined goals. Davies’ take on happiness is right in the sense that happiness comes to us from the things we do, but the modernists don't agree with the fact that analyzing emotions can make us happy.   Happiness accrues from the frequency with which we flood our lives with simple pleasurable moments, than from those which are intense, but few and far in between.  Ã‚