Page 16 - GALIET OF BEAUTIFUL UNOIA AND EUDAIMONIA: ARISTOTLE IV

indispensable, then happiness becomes a precarious and impossible goal for those who are unfortunate.
Of all worthy human endeavors, Aristotle makes two notable classifications: some activities are means to ends, i.e. they are pursued for the sake of something else, while other activities are themselves ends, i.e. pursued for their own sake. According to Aristotle, happiness reaches its highest plateau in the life of philosophical contemplation because it is pursued for its own sake, consequently, it is self-sufficient, and it lacks nothing. This flourishing life, in his view, is far superior to the remaining three contending views: a) the life of pleasure, b) the life of honor, and c) the life of wealth. In his view, these three types of lives are not perfect because they are pursued for the sake of something else. Firstly, he contends that the life of pleasure, equally enjoyed by animals and humans, is not a uniquely a “human” pursuit, it is driven by our insatiable instinctual appetites, or as Herman Hesse would say, by the “Steppenwolf” in us.
Likewise, sensuous pleasure often conflicts with other things we desire. And if “pleasure” is to mean satisfaction there can be conflict among pleasures, for the satisfaction of one desire
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