Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Aristotle is the creator of a qualitatively new system of knowledge that had not previously existed in the ancient world. Aristotle’s creation of eudemonism as a felicitous integral doctrine, hierarchized concerning the benefits, laid the systemic basis for the science of happiness. It should be noted that the concept of virtue and how the philosopher interpreted it. Therefore, virtue is a quality of the soul; its cultivation and manifestation are equivalent to conscience.Virtue, according to Aristotle, is an acquired self-consciousness of moderation that keeps people from mistakes and failures (Guthrie 56). People are made moral and virtuous by an appropriate polity and upbringing.

Thus, Aristotle asserts that a virtuous, that is, an educated person, lives and acts according to their conscience because a knowledgeable and rational soul guides them. Moral virtue, according to Aristotle, is the habit of making the right choices. Furthermore, Aristotle believed that moral virtue is the primary means to happiness and the most important of all things that are really good for people (Guthrie 71). Moreover, Aristotle emphasized that moral virtues are also an unlimited good. There are too many of them, and habits of choosing right are never too firmly formed.

Consequently, Aristotle created a theory of virtue, constituting ethics in its proper and narrow sense as a field of knowledge that studies ethical, ethos-related, moral virtues. Therefore, virtue, in the philosopher’s interpretation, is associated with happiness, which is identical to the highest good (Guthrie 72). At the same time, the correlation also appears in the fact that moral virtue is also a way to happiness and an essential part of happiness itself. In this way, Aristotle first defined happiness as the activity of the soul in the fullness of virtue, and he described virtue as that which leads to happiness.

Work Cited

Guthrie, William Keith Chambers. The Greek philosophers: from Thales to Aristotle. Routledge, 2012.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, December 27). Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moral-virtue-and-its-relation-to-happiness/

Work Cited

"Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness." IvyPanda, 27 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/moral-virtue-and-its-relation-to-happiness/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness'. 27 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness." December 27, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moral-virtue-and-its-relation-to-happiness/.

1. IvyPanda. "Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness." December 27, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moral-virtue-and-its-relation-to-happiness/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Moral Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness." December 27, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moral-virtue-and-its-relation-to-happiness/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1