Moral Excellence

Dear Reader, From the ancient, bustling streets of Athens to the cyber avenues of the internet, the human pursuit of happiness remains an evergreen topic. Today, I invite you to explore with me one of the most profound conceptions of happiness, an idea that emanated from the brilliant mind of the Greek philosopher Aristotle – ‘Eudaimonia.’ Aristotle’s conception of Eudaimonia, often translated as ‘flourishing’ or ‘the good life’, is far more nuanced than the simple pursuit of fleeting pleasures or accumulation of material wealth. For Aristotle, Eudaimonia is the highest human good, the end towards which all our activities aim. But what does it mean to ‘flourish’? According to Aristotle, human flourishing involves the fulfilment of our unique potential as rational beings, essentially through a life of virtue and moral excellence. In other words, it is not enough to merely experience pleasure; one must strive for moral and intellectual growth. […]