From the psychological viewpoint, the concept of happiness could be considered as a sensual or mental state of a person identified by the display of pleasant and positive emotions. There is a range of approaches to defining the concept of happiness including biological, religious, and philosophical theories. The latter is the most complicated ones because they do not consider happiness in isolation but in relation to several important factors. In the context of Nicomachean Ethics, happiness could not be considered a mental stage, but a rational activity directed at the highest good for humans. Aristotle considers happiness to be a sort of verbal arrangement which requires a human to perform certain functions and activities which can allow for the achievement of happiness. There are several aspects within which happiness could be analyzed – intellectual contemplation, sensual enjoyment, political achievement, and pursuit of wealth. However, all of them imply certain activities which help humans achieve well-being and the highest good.
Aristotle defines happiness as the highest aim of the thought and action of humans. Specifically, the philosopher believed that happiness should be valued similarly to intelligence, courage, and wealth. Furthermore, it should be evaluated in isolation, because it is the key to human flourishing and welfare. In other words, the concept of happiness should be associated with the human’s highest good. Similar to other notions such as virtue and excellence, happiness should be presented as the primary activity which should make people active.
When it comes to virtues and morale and their place in the pursuit of happiness, the attention should be given to the parts played by those notions. The traditional virtues of courage, temperance, and justice have soon entered the discussion, although – as we saw – the notion of a morally good person was not already implicit in the definition of happiness. Therefore, in order to exercise rationality, one should adhere to conventional moral virtues. Apparently, Aristotle believes that virtues are morally justified as living a life implies leading the best life which is relevant for a human being. Human virtues, therefore, are valuable for the results that contribute to the human’s welfare as well as to society. In order to achieve moral virtues, habituation but not teaching is the key. Constant practicing could provide a reason.
In fact, Aristotle’s vision of happiness has logical correlations with the concept of virtue. Specifically, in case happiness is an activity which is carried with virtue, it is also reasonable that the activity itself is carried out with the best virtue. Throughout the Ethics, Aristotle makes certain assumptions regarding the concept of selection and collection. Specifically, the philosopher asserts that happiness is an activity regarding virtue, but it is a single activity. Hence, a single activity could be regarded as complete when a human achieves happiness. In this case, it is a selection approach. However, in the case of happiness is achieved only through a range of activities, then a collection approach should be chosen, because the concept of the collection focuses on the pleasures that complete these activities. In order to understand the essence and nature of happiness, it is essential to define what it means to a human. In fact, happiness should be considered as the ultimate goal of humans. It means that humans live to be happy; therefore, they should do corresponding activities to achieve this purpose. Importantly, Aristotle mentions the concept of function in the context of happing. It implies that human’s major function is to be engaged in the activities that make them happy.
Considering happiness as an activity rather than a state than Aristotle’s thought of happiness as the key to self-realization is justified. In this respect, ethics still deals with psychology, which makes some of Aristotle’s assumptions vague and ambivalent. Specifically, Aristotle b