Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Lopez, Quezon Branch

GEED 10083
Science, Technology, and Society

MODULE 2:
General Concepts and Historical Events
in Science, Technology, and Society

LESSON 3:
The Good Life

Christopher B. Valencia, LPT, MAED

Professor
LESSON 3
 The Good Life

LESSON OBJECTIVES

After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Examine what is meant by a good life
 Identify how humans attempt to attain what is deemed to be a good life
 Recognize possibilities available to human being to attain the good life

Aristotle and How We All Aspire for a Good Life

It is often pointed out – to the point of being a cliché – that one of the difficulties of living in
the modern world is the crumbling of traditional certainties and ensuing confusion about what
values to hold and what aims to pursue. Time is limited, and we are torn between competing
aims: career, family, personal development, education, success, money and so on. Often we
have no clear way of negotiating these: for each piece of advice, a conflicting one is
forthcoming from another source. The prevailing ethos is that these kinds of choices are wholly
subjective and should be made on the basis of some kind of feeling or intuition – but how to
decide whether to trust that? In the light of this predicament, Aristotle’s discussion of the good
life is at the very least food for thought. His view that there are certain things that just are
essential to living a fully human life, and to that extent are non-negotiable, challenges the
‘givens’ of a relativistic age. Like other philosophers of his time, Aristotle talks about the ultimate
good being eudaimonia – a good life, a flourishing life, a fulfilled and worthwhile life. As he
himself acknowledges, however, simply naming it does not tell us much about what sorts of
ingredients are required for such a life, so he starts by considering various popular contenders
– money, success, pleasure, relationships. His discussion of this topic is an excellent starting
point for reflection, on our own or in the context of philosophical counselling.

1 Money and success

Money is clearly only a means to an end, therefore it can’t be the main good. On the other
hand, Aristotle does not advocate a life of renunciation – a moderate quantity of material
comforts is necessary for our well-being. And a truly blessed life would be prevented by great
misfortune. But what really determines the quality of our lives is not our circumstances
themselves but what we make of them – just like a general takes the most strategically
appropriate decision with the army at his disposal, or a shoemaker makes the best possible
shoes with the leather he is given, to use Aristotle’s metaphors. Success (or honour) can’t be
the main good either, since (a) it’s too dependent on other people and the whims of fortune, and
(b) we don’t just want to be honoured and recognised – we want to be recognised by people we
admire and for a good reason (or at least we should).

2. Pleasure
Pleasure is certainly not the main good, and people whose main interest lies in bodily
pleasures are described as living ‘lives that are fit only for cattle’. But Aristotle ends up
defending pleasure in two ways: (a) even purely bodily pleasures are good in moderation – we
are embodied creatures, and too little appreciation of bodily pleasures can actually hinder our
pursuit of a good life. It is only excessive indulgence that is damaging and distracts us from
more worthwhile pursuits. Also, (b) there are different kinds of pleasures, and the best kind is
that deriving from being involved in some worthwhile activity. Notice the direction of the causal
arrow: value pleasure rather than pleasure xx value. An important question here is: can we
really say that doing something worthwhile just is pleasant? And if we conclude that worthwhile
and pleasant experiences don’t always coincide, to which should we give priority in our life? An
Aristotelian answer might be that in order to have a truly good life we should aim for a balance
of both – but this might not be as easy as it sounds.

3. Relationships
Relationships are very important in a good life. Aristotle says that we’d be hard pushed to
describe someone who is totally solitary as having a good life, and that nobody would choose to
live without friends, even if they had all the other goods. So a good life should include other
people, although again this is not the main good. He recognises three types of relationships: the
useful, the pleasant and the ones based on mutual admiration. The first two are incidental – the
person is loved only insofar as s/he provides some good or pleasure; the third is the most solid
and therefore most important. But we could add that the capacity to be alone is also important,
and that some individuals may choose solitude for the sake of other pursuits, such as
contemplation.

4. Reason and the Virtues

The main good for a human being is reason, since it is the characteristic human capacity,
the one we don’t share with other animals. There are different readings of this, but a plausible
one is that although none of our capacities should be neglected, the specifically human ones
should be given a special place. So a good life should certainly contain some enjoyment
connected with our biological nature, but our higher faculties should be given more importance.
What about our capacity to feel deep emotions, to love, to be moved by art, music, nature? We
could say – in an Aristotelian spirit, I believe – that it’s the whole package (senses, emotions,
reason) that characterises us as human beings, and should therefore be valued and cultivated.
But reason should still keep hold of the reins. Aristotle divided reason into theoretical
(concerning the contemplation of unchangeable truths) and practical (to do with choosing wisely
in the sphere of what can be changed). It is controversial which of these he thought was most
important, but we could – again in an Aristotelian spirit, I think – (a) redefine theoretical reason
to cover activities related to acquiring knowledge and understanding, and (b) say that both
intellectual pursuits and choosing wisely are essential if we want to live well. Without the
conducting role of practical reason (or wisdom), the whole ensemble could easily fall into chaos.
Theoretical and practical reason (or the intellectual virtues) are a central part of the good life.
But the other requirement of a fully rational life is that in order to flourish as human beings we
need to develop the virtues of character that allow us to feel and act according to reason. There
are spheres of life that we find it difficult to deal with, and being virtuous is about becoming
skilled at handling these, getting it right in situations in which it is easiest to get it wrong. Getting
it right involves ‘hitting the mean’ in our feelings and actions, in everything we do. Excess and
deficiency are opposite ways of getting it wrong. In order to live well therefore we should adopt
appropriate ideals, learn to identify the appropriate course of action through rational deliberation
and train ourselves to feel and act accordingly.

Happiness as the Goal of a Good Life

One of Aristotle's most influential works is the Nicomachean Ethics, where he presents a
theory of happiness that is still relevant today, over 2300 years later. The key question Aristotle
seeks to answer in these lectures is: what is the ultimate purpose of human existence? What is
that end or goal for which we should direct all of our activities? Everywhere we see people
seeking pleasure, wealth, and a good reputation. But while each of these has some value, none
of them can occupy the place of the chief good for which humanity should aim. To be an
ultimate end, an act must be self-sufficient and final, "that which is always desirable in itself and
never for the sake of something else," and it must be attainable by man. Aristotle claims that
nearly everyone would agree that happiness is the end which meets all these requirements. It is
easy enough to see that we desire money, pleasure, and honor only because we believe that
these goods will make us happy. It seems that all other goods are a means towards obtaining
happiness, while happiness is always an end in itself. The Greek word that gets usually gets
translated as "happiness" is eudaimonia, and like most translations from ancient languages, this
can be misleading. The main trouble is that happiness (especially in modern America) is often
conceived of as a subjective state of mind, as when one says one is happy when one is
enjoying a cool beer on a hot day, or is out "having fun" with one's friends. For Aristotle,
however, happiness is a final end or goal that encompasses the totality of one's life. It is not
something that can be gained or lost in a few hours, like pleasurable sensations. It is more like
the ultimate value of your life as lived up to this moment, measuring how well you have lived up
to your full potential as a human being. For this reason, one cannot really make any
pronouncements about whether one has lived a happy life until it is over, just as we would not
say of a football game that it was a "great game" at halftime (indeed we know of many such
games that turn out to be blowouts or duds). For the same reason we cannot say that children
are happy, anymore than we can say that an acorn is a tree, for the potential for a flourishing
human life has not yet been realized. As Aristotle says, "for as it is not one swallow or one fine
day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and
happy."

According to Aristotle, happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole

lifetime all the goods — health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc., that lead to the perfection of
human nature and to the enrichment of human life. This requires us to make choices, some of
which may be very difficult. Often the lesser good promises immediate pleasure and is more
tempting, while the greater good is painful and requires some sort of sacrifice. For example, it
may be easier and more enjoyable to spend the night watching television, but you know that
you will be better off if you spend it researching for your term paper. Developing a good
character requires a strong effort of will to do the right thing, even in difficult situations.

Materialism

The word 'materialism' designates a philosophy and an entire world view according to which the
world is composed of material things. For the exponents of this view all that exists is material.
Ail entities and processes which are composed of matter are reducible to matter itself. These
are only matter, material forces or physical processes which are primary source of everything.'
Thus, materialism is a philosophy which gives primary position to matter and keeps spirit as
secondary. It insists that whatever exists is fully dependent upon matter and there is only one
fundamental reality that is material. It holds that human beings and the rest of the creatures are
not qualitatively different from each other. Human beings are not composed of material body
and an immaterial soul, as is ordinarily believed. They are all bodily and do not have souls
which are claimed to be immaterial.^ Materialism opposes ontological dualism that claims that
there are two kinds of things which are irreducible to each other. The most famous kind of
dualism comes from Descartes. He said That there are material substances and there are
psychological substances v/hich are non-maierird. These are mind and body as are they called
in popular terminology. Materialism rejects Descartes' ontologica! dualism, ll is monistic in so far
as it believes that all existing individuals are materia). Thus m.aterialism claims that the whole
universe, including all life and mind, can be reduced to matter in motion. But while materialism
is ontologically m.onistic, it should also be understood that all ontological monists are not
materialists. For example, idealism is a monistic immaterialism. Because it holds that the world
is a collection of ideas. This is ontological monistic philosophy but not materialist philosophy
itself
Hedonism

The term ‘hedonism’, from the Greek ἡδονή (hēdonē) for pleasure, refers to several related
theories about what is good for us, how we should behave, and what motivates us to behave in
the ways that we do. All hedonistic theories identify pleasure and pain as the only important
elements of whatever phenomena they are designed to describe. If hedonistic theories
identified pleasure and pain as merely two important elements, instead of the only important
elements of what they are describing, then they would not be nearly as unpopular as they all
are. However, the claim that pleasure and pain are the only things of ultimate importance is
what makes hedonism distinctive and philosophically interesting.

Philosophical Hedonists tend to focus on hedonistic theories of value, and especially of

well-being—the good life for the one living it. As a theory of value, hedonism states that all and
only pleasure is intrinsically valuable and all and only pain is intrinsically dis-valuable. Hedonists
usually define pleasure and pain broadly, such that both the pleasure of reading a good book
and the pain of reading a bad thesis are included. Thus, a gentle massage and recalling a fond
memory are both considered to cause pleasure and stubbing a toe and hearing about the death
of a loved one are both considered to cause pain. With pleasure and pain so defined, hedonism
is intuitively appealing as a theory about what is valuable for us. Indeed, its appeal is evidenced
by the fact that nearly all historical and contemporary treatments of well-being allocate at least
some space to discuss hedonism. Unfortunately for hedonism, these discussions rarely
endorse it and some even deplore its focus on pleasure.

Stoicism

—This philosophy came from Zeno of Cyprus (335–263 B.C.) who died at the age of 96. He
regularly held his classes in the porches of the market place, called STOA, specifically the Stoa
Poikile—the painted porch—thus came the name "Stoics."

Major Beliefs
1. The world was created by Zeus.
2. All things were governed by fates—determinism.
3. Self-denial contributes to the highest end in life. There was a desire to suppress all passions.
One was to show indifference to either pleasure or pain and mastery over all lusts. In such
indifference one found contentment, thus self-control was a supreme virtue. Basically, they
were not happy campers. They were the Pharisees of the philosophers. Apathy made them
loose their sympathy.
4. The soul was not immortal but existed until the destruction of the universe. At that time it was
either destroyed (some said), or absorbed into the divine essence (others said).
5. Nothing is immaterial, even the Gods (e.g. the Mormons).
6. "The logos became another word in the Stoic system for god, since it maintains order"
(Ferguson, p. 284).
7. Stoics used an allegorical method of interpretation.
8. Knowledge is empirically gained—they believed in tabula rasa of the soul.

Theism
Theism is normally taken to be the view that there is one and only one God who is eternal,
is creator of the universe, is omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent and loving, and who is
personal and interacts with the universe, as in the religious experience and prayerful activities
of humans.
 The Philippines, as a predominantly Catholic country, is witness to how people base their
life goals on beliefs that hinged on some form of supernatural reality called heaven. The
ultimate basis of happiness for theists is the communion with God.

Humanism

Humanism is a rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to

human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanism is a philosophical and ethical
stance that emphasis the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and
generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism and empiricism) over acceptance of
dogma or superstition.

Humanism the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; the rejection
of religion in favour of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts. According to
Collins (2014) humanism is “the rejection of religion in favour of the advancement of humanity
by its own efforts.” Hornby (2011) humanism is “a system of thought that considers that solving
human problems with the help of reason is more important than religious beliefs. It emphasizes
the fact that the basic nature of humans is good. Humanism La system of thought that rejects
religious beliefs and centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth. Humanism is
the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; the rejection of religion in
favour of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts. Humanism is any system
of thought or action in which human interests, values and dignity are held to be dominant.
Humanism implies devotion to the concerns of mankind; it is an attitude of mind that
concentrates upon the activities of man rather than upon the supernatural world, the world of
nature, or the so-ca1led animal kingdom. Historically, humanism was a Renaissance doctrine,
born in fourteenth century Italy, which stressed the essential worth, dignity and potential of man
as contrasted with an older view that man was wicked, worthless and doomed to destruction
both n this lift and that to come. Renaissance humanists, deriving their beliefs from study of
ancient poets, historians and philosophers, came to believe that man was indeed the centre of
the universe and that he was capable of living a life of reason, dignity, morality and even
happiness. In a more specific sense, humanism involves devotion at any time, including the
present, to those studies that deal with the life, thought and literature of ancient Greece and
Rome. After the careful perusal of all the meanings mentioned above, it appears that they do
not have conflicting views regarding the word ‘humanism’, rather they seen to create a mutually
supportive understanding of the word ‘humanism’.

ASSESSMENT

Name: Date:

Course and Year: Module No. 2

Lesson No. 3

Direction: Explain each questions and provide concise answers with some relevant
examples for clarification, if necessary.
1. What is the good life?
2. What is the relationship between the good life and Science?
3. Does technology always lead us to the good life? How and Why?