Literature (Philosophy) Research Paper: The Good Life

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The Good Life
Good life as most philosophers agree is that not troubled by needs and wants. It is the original form of life where people have enough for themselves; food, leisure, relationships and peace. These have changed over time as human beings need more than the necessities. Whatever people think of as good life points towards fantasies of ‘grass’ in the green and greener forms. These definitions of the good life were defined by poets, missionaries and religious leaders. Letter, philosophers, decided to came up with their versions. This paper stresses the definitions of the good life by philosophers, Aristotle and Plato, and their examples. Besides, it will examine if the philosophers had good argument of what the good life is.
Philosophers had defined some points of life and left the people to think of what they would choose as good and bad. The premises of doubt would be questioned under logic and experiences in life. While doing that, they will be able to argue objections they meet. Different philosophers have been in history for such definitions. Examples are Aristotle and Plato. They had descriptions of what life should be and how people needed to live. Here is an examination of what these philosophers had for the human race.
Aristotle identified that good life for people would come in the form of acquisition of wealth, honor and fame. He, reasoned that these did not contribute to a fully good life. Material wealth comes in the hands of men for the ambitions of acquiring other things through them, like fame (Palmer, 72). Furthermore, these would only gratify the desires of the body other than the situations of life in the society. Such things that gratify the body should be left for animals that do not think as human beings. He proposed that acquiring knowledge and intellectual merits was the best for man in making such decisions of what was good for life. Palmer (75) adds that Aristotle linked his descriptions of knowledge to science and discoveries. The principles of science and their applications would award human beings better understanding of life. From these, they will decide what is not only good for them but also for other people around them (Reeve, 47).
In understanding and finding out what was good for human beings it would be easier for them to decide on what to do for their life. Since these matters revolved around reason and decision making, there is no harm in concluding that Aristotle’s definition of real life was to cause and act out of good reason. Best of information influenced the reasoning. It would then affect what other people were doing. In reasoning, one would also teach others how to act in moral virtue (Palmer, 77). Finally, he also identified those who could not live what was called the good life. They were the unfortunate members of the society. Slaves, orphans, widows and women. These are people who are not in a position to decide by themselves what would make them feel happy. Other people thought and imposed on them what they thought was good. Sometimes, they suffered oppression from the well-off members of the society.
Plato is another philosopher who defined good life and the earth. ...