Happiness blog: Aristotle happiness, Plato happiness – Seeking happiness, flavor of happiness

Print  | 

Happiness blog discusses among others Aristotle happiness, Plato happiness - Seeking happiness, flavor of happiness

In the Nicomachean Ethics, written in 350 B.C.E., Aristotle stated that happiness (also being well and doing well) is the only thing that humans desire for its own sake, unlike riches, honor, health or friendship. He observed that men sought riches, or honor, or health not only for their own sake but also in order to be happy. Note that eudaimonia, the term we translate as “happiness”, is for Aristotle an activity rather than an emotion or a state. Happiness is characteristic of a good life, that is, a life in which a person fulfills human nature in an excellent way. People have a set of purposes which are typically human: these belong to our nature. The happy person is virtuous, meaning they have outstanding abilities and emotional tendencies which allow him or her to fulfill our common human ends. For Aristotle, then, happiness is “the virtuous activity of the soul in accordance with reason”: happiness is the practice of virtue.

This and more about happiness, meaning and purpose in life is discussed on http://www.amareway.org/ AmAre, in Italian, means to love; in English, interconnectedness: (I)Am (we) are. As a framework for happiness, AmAre stands for being:

* A – Aware and Accepting

* M – Meaningful and Motivated

* A – Active and Attentive

* R – Resilient and Respectful

* E – Eating properly and Exercising

As a blog, http://www.amareway.org/ offers inspirational quotes and a review of the latest scientific research, experiences and stories in the fields of happiness, meaning and well-being, plus free eBooks, including Happy Dad, unhappy Dad, Happiness formulas, and Zen: from China to Internet.

As an upcoming book (http://www.amareway.org/holisticliving/10/happiness-meaning-and-purpose-book/), AmAre is an introduction about how to understand, assess, and improve our subjective well-being, by building on strenghts and leveraging on what Dharma, science and spirituality show us about living an happy and meaningful life. Register for our newsletter to receive monthly updates about what matters in life!

AmAre also offers a collection of free ebooks on http://www.amareway.org/about/the-zen-and-art-of-happiness-free-ebooks-about-happiness-zen-motivation/

Other press releases from AmAre Way c/o Institute of Subjective Well-Being

• Authentic Happiness Formula: A course in happiness & meaning - November 23rd, 2010
• New Year’s resolution 2011: a photographic essay of New Year’s resolution - November 23rd, 2010
• Zen: Bibliography and Webiography - November 22nd, 2010
• Why Animals Are Biologically Conscious - November 22nd, 2010
• Making Australia Happy: Making Australia Happy ABC reality show - November 22nd, 2010