Happiness is the ultimate good, there is nothing more precious or desirable than this, according to Aristotle. Fame, wealth, enjoyment, knowledge, although one can strive for them, are all just means to make someone happy. In contrast, one seeks happiness not in order to get to something else through it, but because it is good in itself. However, the word for happiness used by Aristotle, ‘eudaimonia’ covers something else than many other concepts of happiness.

In eudaimonia ‘eu’ means good and ‘daimōn’ is a supernatural being, a spirit. In the ancient world, daimon was the name of the ‘movers’ in the celestial spheres who moved the planets. There was a perfect order in the celestial spheres, and the world was orderly. This was called the ‘cosmos’. The philosopher held that humans’ purpose was to achieve this perfection of the spheres within themselves. Thus, we may say that eudaimonia means that we become a good spirit, living in harmony with other beings of the cosmos. Eudaimonia is the central concept of Aristotle's ethics.

Today, the term eudaimonia is translated in various different ways: as happiness, flourishing, living well or well-being. The ancient concept of flourishing life has gained much recent attention, and it may offer a key to our collective pathway to a thriving life which does not cost the Earth.

According to Aristotle, happiness is ‘good life and good action’, and a ‘happy man lives well and does well’. In our contemporary language we could say that the good life is what we aim for, and it is largely the outcome of right action. Flourishing life clearly distinguishes itself from the current widespread interpretations of happiness as a feeling or as a sense of satisfaction (affective and hedonic interpretations). I would say that, according to Aristotle, happiness is not simply what we feel but, rather, what we do, how we live.

Happiness according to Aristotle: flourishing life

Does happiness depend on us, or is it just luck and a divine gift? If the gods can give so much, it would be reasonable to expect this supreme good to be their gift, argues Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics. It resonates with the expectations of many of us: we may expect God, the Universe or Fate to grant us happiness, and hope for a lucky turn of external circumstances such as a win on the lottery or meeting a perfect partner.