Eudaimonia: A Philosophy of Do Whatever Makes You Happy

When faced with one of life's many obstacles and asking advice, one will always hear "Do whatever makes you happy..." Happiness or eudaimonia, however, differs from person to person, and certainly from philosopher to philosopher. In this article I will discuss what makes a Stoic happy, what Aristotle thought was happiness, and what the hedonistic conception of happiness is.

Aristotle's conception of eudaimonia was "that at which all things aim", or entelechy. He thought that it meant being really alive rather than just existing. Happiness requires activity for Aristotle, good habits and practical wisdom. Soccio states that Aristotle's model of "human excellence" is not conceivable to a culture that values expression of all one's emotions (p.182).

Someone who lived by an Aristotelian conception of eudaimonia would be an athlete, a reporter, or anyone else who "grabs the bull by the balls". Life is not a spectator sport to these people. They would live every day as if it were their last. Running marathons, skydiving, working with others, or being president of a country would all qualify as things that Aristotle would say composes happiness. Of course, one must do all of these with practical wisdom and good habits-such as not skipping work to bungee jump and using practical wisdom to run a country. This makes sense considering the literal translation of "eudaimonia" is 'having a good guardian spirit' (www.eudaimonia.com). Guardian of course refers to the guardian class in Plato's Republic.

The hedonistic (Cyrenaic and Epicurean) view of happiness is quite different. Simply put, Cynics believe that it is the pursuit of pleasure while the Epicureans believe it is the avoidance of pain. Cynics believe that the less an individual needs to be happy, the less vulnerable he or she will be. In order to be happy, one should have self-discipline and rational control of all his/her desires and appetites etc. Epicureans believe that only the quality of pleasures is important. It is not necessary to have the biggest piece of cake, only the tastiest portion. Contrary to belief that they are only about lavish spending and luxurious lives, Epicureans' highest pleasures are intellectual. The greatest good is peace of mind. The world outside of philosophers believes that hedonists "only act in according to what they find pleasurable and in their self-interest" (www.crimetheory.com). They don't know that there is so much more to it.

Names for someone living a hedonistic life might be a hermit, bookworm, eccentric, etc. because they believe intellectual pleasure is best. A hedonistic person would not be likely to join the military since that would not be seeking pleasure or avoiding pain. They would more likely be college professors. They would probably be stand-offish since Cynics believe that one shouldn't be vulnerable to the possibility of not being happy. In another sense, almost anybody could seem to be a hedonist. Soccio says that "the pursuit of pleasure and flight from pain may be universal, but genuine happiness is not" (p. 188). Businessmen and women work 9-5 everyday trying to earn a living in order to be able to have the kind of life they want, and work in office jobs to avoid the "pain" of hard labor. Yet they do not have genuine happiness because they are not seeking intellectual pleasure or peace of mind. They may spend their fortune on booze or prostitutes instead of seeking the greatest good.

The Stoic conception is modeled somewhat after the Cynics and believes that happiness comes from the effective use of reason to alter the will. They believe that you can't control "externals" such as weather, traffic, other people's actions, etc. but you can control your ideas and attitudes towards them. A true Stoic doesn't show emotion, doesn't get upset, and doesn't let the world get to them. A Spartan soldier comes to mind as the archetype of a Stoic. Soccio notes that Socrates was admired by Stoics because of his sturdy character and knowledge that excessive wanting always leads to unhappiness (p.194). Stoics believe that "externals" cannot be "wrong" or "bad" because they are all a part God's plan. One must have acceptance of the past, present and future in order to be happy.

A Stoic lifestyle in this day and age would have to require a "macho man" kind of attitude. Military lifestyle comes to mind because of its no-nonsense attitude and forbidden expression of emotion. A road rage mom on the highway would not be a Stoic. Bottled emotions could be the deviant effect of a Stoic's lifestyle and lead to psychological health problems. One cannot think of many examples of people living Stoic lifestyles nowadays because it has been accepted by our culture that emotions are o.k. and healthy to exhibit. If one does not deal with his/her emotions, they are sent to a psychiatrist.

As you can see, a simple concept like happiness, can have differing meanings from philosophy to philosophy and even from person to person in a certain philosophy. What one Stoic believes may be closer to what a hedonist believes than what another Stoic believes happiness is. Aristotle, the hedonists, and the Stoics all have their own views and one can only respect those in our present-day culture.

"Eudaimonia." http://www.eudaimonia.com.
Soccio, Douglas J. Archetypes of Wisdom. Wadsworth, 2004.
Terms of Criminology. http://www.crimetheory.com/glossary.htm