Happiness Through Aristotle

374 Words2 Pages
There is however a key flaw in this argument that Aristotle had not measured. The flaw of attaining knowledge is that the more one knows the less happy one becomes. As Ernest Hemingway said, “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” On this ground, I have concluded that happiness is not entirely found in knowledge, but it remains to be simply taking the attitude of measuring ones happiness not as a journey to the end, but as the end itself. It is by doing any activity that one has passion in as though it were the act of happiness instead of doing it in order to achieve happiness, that eudonamia is found. There is another problem with our society that has distorted our perception of the process of intellectual growth. School which is the main foundation of academia has been attached to much stress. You study and learn in order to get a degree, so you can make a living for yourself. This whole outlook on studying to achieve something greater has turned many people off. When a book determines your entire future, people are bound to either accept that reality or rebel against the idea. Those who feel like school is not for them, only come to that conclusion became everything we equate with knowledge is money, success, and a future, but never just for the pure beauty of challenging yourself. Never for the sake of a peaceful night of contemplation, or a get together with friends over a cup of coffee having a heated debate. Instead, we strangle and push our students to a point where they don’t like learning, or working. In Aristotle times philosophers were living the most peaceful life, in a city-state that was already very much notable for its leisure time. Therefore, Aristotle idea of thinking was directly met with a lot of leisure time, and many people allowed him to think and express his ideas just for the sake of hearing something new, something
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