Letters to the Editor
1) Stacey Hinkhouse - Toronto, ON
"Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued." This quote, spoken by Socrates, presents the age old idea of the search for the good life. The question, however, is what does it mean to lead a good life? In my opinion, living the good life is living the life that makes you the happiest. Without happiness, I do not believe that one can lead a life that they find fulfillment in. Everyone finds happiness in different ways, and as such, everyone finds fulfillment in life in different ways, but it stems from happiness. With this in mind, I generally agree with Maslow's hierarchy of needs in that in order for one to feel fulfilled, all stages presented on the hierarchy need to be met. I do believe, however, that the final stage of self-actualization is an ongoing process that one never fully reaches the end of. If someone were to reach the end of this product, I am not sure what they would have left to live for. Furthermore, I do not believe that materialism can constitute happiness, because there are many cases of rich people not being happy and poor people being the happiest of all. This in itself shows that materialism has nothing to do with living the good life. Overall, I agree with Aristotle's belief that the route to happiness and the good life is fulfilling your purpose as a human being. You must figure out your purpose and your abilities, and work to perfect yourself. By being the best you can be, you will be living well and will gain eudaemonia, which means happiness, but also satisfaction and contentment. Overall, happiness and contentment go hand in hand with satisfaction. "Eudaemonia is achieving your destiny, and overall, it is what leads to living well" . I also agree with the idea that happiness also involves those around you, and the happiness of your friends and family plays a part in your well being. In general, eudaemonia holds together all these things and gives them meaning. It is different for each person, as each person is an individual. With this being said, I do not feel as though there is a single set of guidelines that will lead to the good life. There is no single path to happiness, however, happiness is the ingredient to the good life.
2) Marvin Stanley - London, ON
It would be ridiculous to assume that the good life is all-encompassing, that the same destiny and fate is meant for us all. This is why I lean towards an Aristotelian viewpoint on “the good life.” To Aristotle, the good life differs depending on the individual, which is only the most realistic view. We can’t all be super stars who are on the cover of magazines. What we can be assured of however is the ability to make an individual difference make the cogs that run the world go round. In the interests of personal fulfillment, it would follow that this fulfillment, no matter how big or small, comes from someone doing the best they can and living up to the best of their ability, needs, and wants: not the needs and wants of what someone else prescribes to them. By letting the individual nature of mankind decide what the good life is, Aristotle gives us an open door to explore what we feel we need to do, something that philosophies like Confucianism (which severely limits ones freedom) ignore.