VCE Philosophy (Year 12) · Unit 3 — The Good Life · 14m read

Flourishing and Tranquillity — Aristotle and Epicurus on the Good Life

Ancient philosophers set the terms of the debate about the good life. Aristotle and Epicurus offer contrasting answers that remain central to Unit 3 discussions.

Learning objective: Explain and compare Aristotle’s account of eudaimonia and virtue with Epicurus’ account of pleasure as tranquillity, and evaluate each.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can explain eudaimonia, the function argument and virtue as a mean.
• I can explain Epicurus’ ataraxia, aponia and classification of desires.
• I can compare and evaluate both accounts.

Aristotle: a tree flourishing; Epicurus: a calm harbour. For Aristotle, a good life is growing fully into what you are. For Epicurus, it is reaching a peaceful harbour, free from storms.

Aristotle — eudaimonia

• EUDAIMONIA (flourishing, living well) is the highest good — pursued for its own sake.
• FUNCTION ARGUMENT: the distinctive function of humans is rational activity; living well is performing that function excellently — "activity of the soul in accordance with virtue" over a complete life.
• VIRTUES are stable character traits developed by HABIT; each is a MEAN between excess and deficiency (courage between rashness and cowardice).
• PRACTICAL WISDOM (phronesis) lets us see the mean in each situation.
• External goods (friends, health, some wealth) and FRIENDSHIP — especially friendship of virtue — are part of a flourishing life.

Epicurus — pleasure as tranquillity

• Pleasure is the beginning and end of the blessed life — but Epicurus means ATARAXIA (freedom from mental disturbance) and APONIA (absence of bodily pain), not indulgence.
• DESIRES: natural and necessary (food, shelter, friendship) — satisfy them; natural but unnecessary (luxury foods) — enjoy sometimes; vain and empty (fame, wealth, power) — avoid.
• PRUDENCE guides choices: some pleasures bring greater pains later.
• Remove fear of the gods and of death: "death is nothing to us", since when death is, we are not.
• Friendship is among the greatest goods.

Worked example (Medium)

Compare how Aristotle and Epicurus would assess someone pursuing fame through social media.

1. Epicurus. Fame is a vain and empty desire that brings anxiety; it undermines ataraxia.
2. Aristotle. Honour is not the highest good, since it depends on others; flourishing requires virtuous activity, not recognition.

Answer: Both reject fame as the basis of a good life: Epicurus because it disturbs tranquillity, Aristotle because it depends on others and is not virtuous activity.

Common mistakes

• Calling Epicurus a pleasure-seeking party-goer He advocated simple living and peace of mind. Fix: Define pleasure as ataraxia and aponia.
• Translating eudaimonia simply as "happiness" It means flourishing over a whole life, not a feeling. Fix: Use "flourishing" or "living well".

Practice questions

1. For Aristotle, courage is a mean between:

   1. Wealth and poverty
   2. Rashness and cowardice
   3. Pleasure and pain
   4. Love and hate

   (1 marks)

2. Evaluate one objection to Aristotle’s function argument.

   (4 marks)

Summary

• Aristotle: eudaimonia as virtuous rational activity over a complete life.
• Virtue is a mean found by practical wisdom and built by habit.
• Epicurus: pleasure as ataraxia and aponia; classify desires.
• Both value friendship and reject fame as the good life.