PS 122

Essay on the Good Life

I. Introduction of the essay on the good life and how it has evolved from ancient
philosophers, to medieval philosophers, and reformational philosophers.
a. Ancient philosophers look at the good life both as an internal ordeal for man to
achieve and an external process upon which the polis helps in achieving.
i. Plato cited that the good life is a just life.
1. Man achieves a good life if he pursues the virtue of justice.
2. Acknowledges that happiness in itself is not the ultimate end of a
good life.
3. Plato’s view of the good as a self-sufficient achievement – it does
not depend or lead onto other virtues but an end in itself.
4. Pleasure and reason play an important role in achieving the good
life.
5. Plato clearly stated that achieving pleasure is not considered the
good life.
6. Plato puts an importance in knowing what is good is necessary to
achieve the good life.
a. It is enough to know what is good and what is not because
a person who knows what is good will not do the things
that are not considered good.
ii. Aristotle cited that “eudaimonia” is the good.
1. Like Plato, Aristotle believed that the pursuit of the good life is an
end itself and does not need to result on other achievements.
2. The good life is desirable only for its sake and nothing more or
less.
3. Aristotle also looks at pleasure as an entirely different matter from
the good life.
a. Pleasure is something that enhances and signals the
achievement of a good life; but it [pleasure] is not equal to
it [the good life] exactly.
4. Aristotle differs from Plato’s view in achieving the good life.
a. For Aristotle, it is not enough to know what is good, but
rather, it is the practice of such good virtues which makes a
person closer to achieving a good life.
b. Medieval Philosophy on the good life draws upon the arguments of ancient
Philosophers but augmented their thought by the inclusion of God as a center of a
virtuous, good life.
i. St. Augustine’s view on the good life lies on the achievement of moral
goodness by loving God.
 1. Augustine’s view of the good life is reflected in his duality
between the City of God and the City of Man.
2. The good life is achieved when man loves God first before
himself; when man belongs to the so-called City of God, he lives a
good life.
3. Augustine highlighted the important role of the church as a guiding
mechanism towards the good life.
ii. St. Thomas differs from that of Augustine by defining the good life as the
process of exercising the rational capacity of one’s soul to determine what
is good and virtuous.
1. Thomas argued that the soul is always striving to reach the greatest
good which is towards God.
a. A person that continually uses his soul and rationality to do
good is working towards achieving a good life.
2. It is within the nature of man to seek the good life.
c. Reformational philosophers’ view and thoughts on the good life.
II. Analysis of the development and evolution of the views of the good life.
a. A short discussion on the similarities between the views on the good life from
ancient, medieval, and reformational thinkers.
b. A short discussion on the differences and discrepancies between the views on the
good life from ancient, medieval, and reformational thinkers.
c. A short reflection on the view of the good life.
i. A contemporary comparative analysis between three prominent figures,
namely Jesus Christ, Mohandas Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, and an
evaluation of their personalities and lives based on the different views on
the good life – which of them lived the good life and whose view applies
to which?
ii. Criticism on the views on the good life based on the discrepancies
between the personalities discussed.
iii. How did they all differ among each other and how was “the good life”
embodied by each in entirely different manners.
III. Short reflection and conclusion on the views of the good life and how it is perceived
now in modern society.