MODULE 5

HUMAN FLOURISHING AND

THE GOOD LIFE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Express one’s vision and criteria of human flourishing.
2. Relate human flourishing in the progress of science and technology.
3. Describe the relationship between human flourishing and good life.
4. Explain good life according to different Greek philosophers.
5. Analyze what constitute good life.
6. Enumerate some possibilities to attain good life.

Concept of Human Flourishing

Human flourishing is defined as an effort to achieve self-actualization and

fulfillment within the context of a larger community of individuals, each with the right
to pursue his or her own such efforts.

The term "eudaimonia" is a classical Greek word, commonly translated as

"happiness", but perhaps better described as well-being, human flourishing," or "the
good life". Unlike our everyday concept of happiness, eudaimonia is not a state of
mind, nor is it simply the experience of joys and pleasures.

According to St. Augustine, "Human beings are endowed with a power that he
calls the will." He emphasizes the will as the center of freedom. Augustine, who has
a libertarian view, sees our will as a free choice. So for whatever we may choose to
do, we become solely responsible for our actions, which are caused by external
factors instead of internal ones.

Human Flourishing in the Progress of Science and Technology

Human flourishing is positively related to rational man’s attempts to

externalize his values and actualize his internal views of how things ought
to be in the outside world. Practical reasons can be used to choose,
create, and integrate all the values and virtues that comprise personal
flourishing.

To flourish, a man must pursue goals that are both rational for him
individually and as a human being. Living rationally means dealing with
the world conceptually. Living consciously implies respect for the facts of
reality.

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 “Reality” is not something absolute that human beings can ever
know once and for all; it is relative in the most literal sense of the
word – it exists only in relations. Reality ‘in itself’, therefore, is
inaccessible for human beings. As soon as we perceive or try to
understand it, it is not ‘in itself’ anymore, but ‘reality for
us.’(Heidegger, 1977,p.13)

Everything we perceive, think of, or interact with emerges out of concealment, in

Heidegger's words. By entering into a particular relationship with reality, reality is
revealed in a specific way. And this is where technology comes in, since technology is
the way of revealing that characterizes our time. Technology embodies a specific way of
revealing the world, a way in which humans’ take power over reality. While the ancient
Greeks experienced the making of something as helping something to come into being,
as Heidegger explains by analyzing classical texts and words, modern technology is
rather a forcing something into being. Technology reveals the world as raw material,
available for production and manipulation.

Relationship between Human Flourishing and Good Life

For Seligman, the good life entails using our character strengths to engage in activities
we find intrinsically fulfilling, during work and play, and in our relationships.

For Seligman, ‘the good life’ has three strands. Positive emotion is much more than
mere ‘happiness.’ Seligman's conclusion is that happiness has three dimensions that can be
cultivated: the Pleasant Life, the Good Life, and the Meaningful Life. The Pleasant Life is
realized if we learn to savor and appreciate such basic pleasures as companionship, the natural
environment, and our bodily needs.

Positive emotions include hope, interest, joy, love, compassion, pride, amusement, and
gratitude. Positive emotions are a prime indicator of flourishing, and they can be cultivated or
learned to improve wellbeing (Fredrickson, 2001).

When individuals can explore, savor, and integrate positive emotions into daily life and
visualizations of future life, it improves habitual thinking and acting. Positive emotions can undo
the harmful effects of negative emotions and promote resilience. Increasing positive emotions
helps individuals build physical, intellectual, psychological, and social resources that lead to
resilience and overall wellbeing.

Ways to build positive emotion may include:

1. Spend time with people you care about (Kok et al., 2013).
2. Do hobbies and creative activities that you enjoy (Conner et al., 2018).
3. Listen to uplifting or inspirational music (Juslin & Sakka, 2019).
4. Reflect on things you are grateful for and what is going well in your life (Emmons &
McCullough, 2003).

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THE GOOD LIFE ACCORDING TO PHILOSOPHY

Plato About The Good Life

Plato believed that any object, whether animal or human, has a natural function.
Discovering that function is the first step in living the good life, and it is followed by acting on
that function.

Since Plato's philosophy of the good life applies to all things, some functions are easier
to discover and act upon than others. For example, a chair has the natural function of being sat
upon. When it comes to mankind, however, Plato felt that the natural function was more
complicated, requiring that man live justly and achieve unity and harmony.

Plato felt that the soul of man had three parts, consisting of intellect, spirit, courage, and
physical desires. Each part has its own needs. However, to live a good life, the needs of each of
the three parts of the soul must be met without interfering with the needs of the other two parts.
These needs are basic. For example, the physical desires of the soul are fulfilled by good health
and survival.
Reaching a level of balance is only the first step in living a good life. Plato felt that
mankind's nature required more than simply existing in balance. Nature requires that an
individual use intellect and reason to search for the truth, pursue further knowledge, and seek
ultimate reality.

Aristotle About The Good Life

In Aristotle’s best-known work, Nicomachean Ethics, the philosopher adds important

insights about the good life. Aristotle seeks to construct a framework by developing an
understanding of the highest good for human beings. He points out that to most people, the
highest good consists either in the acquisition of wealth, the pursuit of honor, or the satisfying of
bodily pleasures. As a result, most people act accordingly. They seek wealth, honor, or
satisfaction and thereby hope to ultimately attain happiness. Aristotle, however, points out that
none of these aspects can ever serve as the highest good. Firstly, he argues that wealth is
primarily used to acquire other things. In itself, wealth cannot make one happy. Secondly, honor
might not necessarily contribute to a person’s happiness. Instead, honor is primarily sought to
change how people think of us. Thirdly, the desire to fulfill one’s desires is not something limited
to human beings alone. Animals are seeking pleasure, too. Even more so, by orienting one’s life
primarily to the satisfaction of bodily pleasures, a human being behaves no differently than an
animal. According to Aristotle, such a life is neither fit nor meant for human beings.

From this, Aristotle concludes that the highest good cannot consist primarily of these
three aspects. Instead, the highest good should be something that aims to maximize the
inherent faculties of man. It helps human beings develop that which separates them from
animals. In line with this argument, the capacity for reason is what separates man from cattle.

Based on his reflections, Aristotle highlights the essential qualities of the good life.
These qualities primarily consist of contemplation and learning. It is through the process of
contemplating and learning that intellectual virtues are steadily acquired. These virtues can, for
instance, stem from the acquisition of knowledge about the fundamental principles of nature.
Furthermore, this knowledge can be expanded by applying the principles of nature.

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However, contemplation and acquiring knowledge are not enough to live a good life. Solely
understanding nature’s principles and contemplating them does not contribute to the highest
good. It is only through proper action that knowledge can be put to proper use. Hence, the
development of a strong and virtuous character is necessary to perform the right actions.
Aristotle therefore concludes that the highest good consists of the acquisition of both intellectual
and personal virtues. And, by living in accordance with the highest good, happiness can be
attained. Consequently, a person achieves happiness through contemplation, learning, and the
mental strength to perform the right actions. Such a person does not only know what is right, but
also acts accordingly and derives happiness, fulfillment, and purpose from it.

Socrates About Good Life

According to Socrates, an unexamined life is not worth living. Living life without ever
reflecting on it is not worth living. The person who unquestioningly and continuously repeats the
cycle of waking up, working, and going back to sleep is not living the good life. Even further,
people who do not reflect on the nature of things are not living a worthwhile life. If a person does
not examine what they value and why, the chances of them being able to live a good life are
reduced.

Examining, reflecting, and questioning the nature of things, however, is not enough.
Similarly, it’s not enough to reflect on your personal values. Living the good life requires you to
become a Master of yourself. Socrates compared this process to a charioteer directing two
horses. Socrates argued that each and every one of us is such a charioteer. We all have to
handle two horses. The first horse is stubborn. It is a direct reflection of our animal instincts,
which have a boundless appetite for lust and pleasure. The first horse goes in whatever
direction it pleases, if not tightly controlled. It is egotistical and does not reflect what it does. It
simply does. The second horse has a much nobler and more sensible spirit. It resembles reason
and man’s capability to reflect upon what he does.

The Three Central Aspects of the Good Life

By integrating these fundamental aspects into life, the good life that creates happiness
and fulfillment and gives you a sense of purpose and meaning in life can be attained. Therefore,
the ideal of the good life does not set you on a pursuit of wealth, status, and pleasure but

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creates happiness, fulfillment, and joy through understanding the world you live in, mastering
yourself, and helping your community thrive.

SEVERAL IDEAS TO LIVE THE GOOD LIFE

1. Examine life, seek knowledge

Examine life, explore its concepts and principles, and seek to learn new things each day.
Be open to new ideas and never cease to go through life with open eyes. Aristotle stated, for a
good reason, that an unexamined life is not worth living. Living without questioning and
reflecting on your behavior, beliefs, and values can result in spending your time on activities that
are not worthwhile. Even more so, it might even make it all the more difficult to live the good life.
On the other hand, however, by applying reason to the examination of your own life, a
continuous stream of knowledge and virtues can be acquired. It is our capacity for reason that
differentiates human beings from instinct-driven and pleasure-seeking animals. If we explore the
world and contemplate our discoveries, new sources of pleasure, happiness, and well-being can
be tapped into.

2. Slow down and enjoy simplicity

A great number of people assume that the good life can only be attained by adding
more to their lives. As a consequence, they seek to add material belongings, wealth, social
status, fame, or something entirely different to their lives. This, however, is the wrong approach.
You don’t necessarily have to add something new to your life to enjoy the good life. Quite the
contrary is the case. The good life does not consist of continuously chasing evermore. Instead,
simplicity and the ability to draw happiness from what you already have can be integral aspects
of a good life. This shift in perception can help you start living the good life in the present
moment without being dependent upon external influences.

3. Seek to attain self-mastery

Living the good life is all about mastering yourself. But interestingly, most people do not
consider self-mastery when it comes to the pursuit of a good life. Instead of seeking discipline
and mastery over themselves, they prefer to chase wealth, material possessions, status, or the
fulfillment of desires. However, without self-discipline, one’s actions are primarily centered on
the wish to fulfill desires. As a result, we waste important time and energy feeding desires that
can never be fully satisfied. Consequently, our actions are egotistical, self-centered, and
unreflected. Instead of living the good life, we succumb to the instinctive and unreasoning
qualities we share with animals. It is only through self-mastery that we can replace our
boundless appetite for pleasure with nobler and more reasonable thinking. Instead of being
instinct-driven, it allows us to reflect and think about what we do.

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4. Drawing joy and happiness from life’s simple pleasures

In their quest to live the good life, the vast majority of people shift their attention from the
present moment to a desirable state in the future. They think that the good life can only be
attained through the acquisition of wealth, status, and a variety of other things. Therefore, these
people will never truly be able to live the good life because there will always be something
missing. They either do not have enough material possessions to satisfy all their desires, or they
are no longer able to enjoy these possessions after a certain period of time.
For this reason, the ability to draw happiness from life’s simple pleasures is essential. It’s
a person’s ability to take pleasure in even the most simplistic things in life that will help in
understanding how worthwhile this present moment is.

5. Help in making this world a better place

Almost all philosophers who pondered the good life highlighted the importance of civic
engagement. It is an integral aspect of a good life. Even more so, all the other aspects of the
good life can only be committed in a worthwhile manner by utilizing them for the greater cause.
Therefore, a life that is solely lived for the purpose of fulfilling one’s own desires can never be
fully considered a truly meaningful and worthwhile existence.
6. Be grateful for what you have
Gratitude is an important aspect of a good life. It helps us overcome the feeling of not
having enough. By being grateful, we can also overcome the never-ending pursuit of boundless
desires.
7. Don’t worry about things you can’t control

Life presents us with two different aspects. Firstly, those aspects of our lives that can be
influenced or changed Secondly, there are aspects or events that are beyond our ability to
influence or alter. We are simply incapable of exerting even the slightest influence over these
events. We therefore feel extremely intimidated and helpless. Feelings that even further
contribute to our fear about things we cannot control.
However, the principal key to withstanding life’s hardships lies in the way we allow these
happenings to influence us. While we’re not able to control a great variety of events in life, we
still have the capacity to control our responses to these events. We therefore have the choice to
allow these happenings to break us and incite fear within us, or to get back up from the ground
and recover from them.

8. Value and nurture relationships

Imagine you’re living the good life, but no one is around to share your joy with. The
concept of living the good life includes the relationship dimension as well. Without it, it would not
fully contribute to your happiness and fulfilment. Even more so, relationships are an integral part
of a worthwhile life. Neither wealth nor social status can grant access to true friendship.
Therefore, living the good life also consists of spending significant amounts of time with those
that you love and enjoy being around. The good life is all about growing, developing, and
becoming stronger together, not alone.

9. Live your passions

Living the good life is all about discovering your true passions and having the courage to
pursue these activities. By doing what you’re passionate about, a sense of fulfillment,
accomplishment and true satisfaction can be added to your life.

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10. Live in the moment

While it is certainly true that the good life means a great variety of different things to
different people, we can all agree that being haunted by the past or having fear of the future is
certainly not part of it. Instead of being trapped in the past or fearful about the future, try to enjoy
this present moment. There’s nothing you can do to change what happened. Also, the future
can be greatly impacted at this very moment. Be here right now; this is exactly where you need
to be.

What is Happiness?

“Everyone wants happiness. Nobody wants suffering.”

In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being that can be defined

by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. To behaviorists,
happiness is a cocktail of emotions we experience when we do something good or positive. To
neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of hormones released in the brain as a
reward for behavior that prolongs survival.

Rapid advances in science and technology are raising fundamental questions about
human life, flourishing, suffering, and death. People wonder about the beginning of life, and it
deserves much-needed human protection. They sometimes tried to explain how neuroscience is
reshaping our conceptions of what it means to be human and the way we live and die with
dignity in the middle of the 21st century.

The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of suffering; the
presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of this, hedonists believe that
the purpose of life is to maximize happiness, which minimizes misery. Eudemonia is a term that
combines the Greek words for "good" and "spirit" to describe the ideology. Eudaimonia defines
happiness as the pursuit of becoming a better person. Eudaemonists do this by challenging
themselves intellectually or by engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people.

Living the good life is all about exploring what gives you joy and satisfaction. It's about
finding purpose and meaning in your life and drawing happiness from what you do. Every
human being aspires to live, but we all define the phrase "good life" differently. Some are
looking to live an honest life, full of integrity, joy, and happiness. Others seek wealth, social
status, and fame, as they hope these aspects will help them live a good life. In fact, they directly
associate the good life with money and material possessions.

The good life is a term that refers to a state that is primarily characterized by a high
standard of living or the adherence to ethical and moral laws. In its two different expressions,
living the good life can be either expressed through an abundant or luxurious lifestyle full of
material belongings or the attempt to live life in accordance with the ethical, moral, legal, and
religious laws of one’s country or culture. As such, the term can both be understood as the
quest for wealth, material possessions, or luxuries and the quest to create a worthwhile, honest,
and meaningful existence.
When it comes to living the good life, we almost all have a certain idea of what such a
life should look like. For some, the good life is all about spending time playing video games or
watching television while eating and drinking as much as they please. Others associate the
good life with days spent in nature pondering and philosophizing about life. Some simply want to

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spend their time in a worthwhile and productive manner, for example, by trying to make this
world a better place.

We then have to ask ourselves if the good life could really be characterized by a high
standard of living alone. If this were the case, living the good life would primarily consist of the
never-ending attempt to fulfill one’s desires and material wishes. As we all know, human desires
can be boundless, while the earth’s resources are quite limited. As such, the (excessive) good
life of one group of people might prevent others from living the "high standard of-living good
life." Or it might hinder future generations from ever living the good life.

Name:________________ Course:___________ Date:__________

SN:___________________ Time:_________________

ACTIVITY 5
HUMAN FLOURISHING AND

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 THE GOOD LIFE

Essay: Answer the following questions briefly.

1. Differentiate human flourishing and good life.

2. In your own opinion, what constitutes good life.

3. How does technology help/s us in attaining good life?

a. What is your understanding of human flourishing?

b. Describe your vision of human flourishing.

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