SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

MODULE 9: THE GOOD LIFE

MODULE OVERVIEW
This course seeks to instill reflective knowledge in the students that they are able to live the
good life and display ethical decision making in the face of scientific and technological advancement. This
course includes topics about how to live and attain a good life for students to articulate ways by which
society is transformed by science and scientific in the heart of the society.

MODULE OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, the student must have:
a. critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of science and technology so that the student
can define for himself/herself the meaning of the good life;
b. identify how humans attempt to attain what is deemed to be a good life and
c. Recognize possibilities available to human being to attain the good life

MODULE CONTENT
A. Introduction
B. Aristotle and the Good Life
C. Aristotle and the Ingredients of The Good Life
D. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and the Good Life
E. Eudaimonia: Uniquely Human?

INTRODUCTION
Everyone is moving towards the good. Thus, completing one’s studies, training for sport, or taking a
rest is good. The good is expressed and manifested in many various ways for different persons and
circumstances. The good life however is more than these countless expressions of what is good. It is
characterized by happiness that springs from living and doing well. The good life is a term that refers to a
(desirable) 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/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 to create a worthwhile, honest and meaningful existence. The term is also a central concept in
the works of Aristotle that are centered around ethics.

When it comes to the good life, some understand it as the continuous pursuit of their desires by means
of mundane activities. Others consider it as the striving for personal excellence and the wish to contribute
something meaningful in life. We then have to ask ourselves the question, 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
consists of the never-ending attempt to fulfill one’s desires and the material wishes. Human desires can be
boundless, while the earth’s resources are quite limited.
ARISTOTLE AND THE GOOD LIFE

Who is Aristotle?

He is the first thinker who dabbed into the complex problematizing of

the end goal of life: happiness. He puts everything back to the ground in
claiming that this world is all there and that this world is the only reality
we can all access. He believes that change is a process that is inherent
in things and that happiness is the “be all” and “end all” of everything
that we do.

Like other philosophers of his time, Aristotle talks about the

ultimate good being eudaimonia – a good life, a flourishing life, a fulfilled
and worthwhile life. As he himself acknowledges, however, simply
naming it does not tell us much about what sorts of ingredients are
required for such a life, so he starts by considering various popular Aristotle ©wikipedia.com
contenders – money, success, pleasure, relationships. His discussion
of this topic is an excellent starting point for reflection, on our own or in the context of philosophical
counselling.

The Good Life for Aristotle:

• There is a definitive distinction between the theoretical and practical sciences.

• Theoretical disciplines include logic, biology, physics, metaphysics etc.
• Practical disciplines include ethics and politics
• He stated that the “truth” is the aim of the theoretical sciences and the “good” is the end
goal of the practical ones.
• Every attempt to know is connected in some way in an attempt to find the “good”.

ARISTOTLE AND THE INGREDIENTS OF THE GOOD LIFE

Money and Success

Money is clearly only a means to an end, therefore it can’t be the main good. On the other hand,
Aristotle does not advocate a life of renunciation – a moderate quantity of material comforts is necessary
for our well-being. And a truly blessed life would be prevented by great misfortune. But what really
determines the quality of our lives is not our circumstances themselves but what we make of them – just
like a general takes the most strategically appropriate decision with the army at his disposal, or a
shoemaker makes the best possible shoes with the leather he is given, to use Aristotle’s metaphors.
Success (or honour) can’t be the main good either, since (a) it’s too dependent on other people and the
whims of fortune, and (b) we don’t just want to be honoured and recognized – we want to be recognized
by people we admire and for a good reason (or at least we should).
Pleasure

Pleasure is certainly not the main good, and people whose main interest lies in bodily pleasures
are described as living ‘lives that are fit only for cattle’. But Aristotle ends up defending pleasure in two
ways:

(a) even purely bodily pleasures are good in moderation – we are embodied creatures, and too
little appreciation of bodily pleasures can actually hinder our pursuit of a good life. It is only excessive
indulgence that is damaging and distracts us from more worthwhile pursuits.

(b) there are different kinds of pleasures, and the best kind is that deriving from being involved in
some worthwhile activity. Notice the direction of the causal arrow: 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 → 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 rather than the
other way around.

Relationships

Relationships are very important in a good life. Aristotle says that we’d be hard pushed to
describe someone who is totally solitary as having a good life, and that nobody would choose to live
without friends, even if they had all the other goods. So, a good life should include other people, although
again this is not the main good. He recognizes three types of relationships: the useful, the pleasant and
the ones based on mutual admiration. The first two are incidental – the person is loved only insofar as
s/he provides some good or pleasure; the third is the most solid and therefore most important. But we
could add that the capacity to be alone is also important, and that some individuals may choose solitude
for the sake of other pursuits, such as contemplation.

Reason and the Virtues

The main good for a human being is reason, since it is the characteristic human capacity, the one
we don’t share with other animals. There are different readings of this, but a plausible one is that although
none of our capacities should be neglected, the specifically human ones should be given a special place.
So, a good life should certainly contain some enjoyment connected with our biological nature, but our
higher faculties should be given more importance. What about our capacity to feel deep emotions, to
love, to be moved by art, music, nature? We could say – in an Aristotelian spirit, I believe – that it’s the
whole package (senses, emotions, reason) that characterizes us as human beings, and should therefore
be valued and cultivated. But reason should still keep hold of the reins.

Aristotle divided reason into:

• Theoretical (concerning the contemplation of unchangeable truths) and
• Practical (to do with choosing wisely in the sphere of what can be changed).
ARISTOTLE’S NICOMACHEAN ETHICS AND THE GOOD LIFE

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the fundamental basis of Aristotelian

ethics, consists of ten books. Originally, they were lecture notes written on
scrolls when he taught at the Lyceum. It is widely believed that the lecture
notes were compiled by or were dedicated to one of Aristotle’s sons,
Nichomacus. Alternatively, it is believed that the work was dedicated to
Aristotle’s father who was of the same name.

The Nicomachean Ethics, abbreviated as NE or sometimes EN based on

the Latin version of the name, is a treatise on the nature of moral life and
human happiness based on the unique essence of human nature. The NE
particularly useful in defining what the good life is. Everyone has a definition
of what good is- getting college degree, traveling across the world,
Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics
©amazon.com succeeding in a business venture, pursuing a healthy and active lifestyle,
or being a responsible parent. However, although everyone aims to achieve that which is good, Aristotle
posited two types of good. In NE. Book 2, Chapter 2, (NE 2:2), Aristotle explained that every action aims
to some good. However, some actions aim at an instrumental good while some aim at an intrinsic good.
He made it clear that the ultimate good is better than the instrumental good for the latter is good as
means to achieving something else or some other end while the former is good in itself.

EUDAIMONIA: UNIQUELY HUMAN?

Eudaimonia or happiness is unique to humans for it is a uniquely human function. It is achieved
only through a rationally directed life. Aristotle’s notion of a tripartite soul as summarized in Figure 1.
The degrees and functions of the soul are nested, such that the one which has a higher degree of soul
has all of the lower degrees. Thus, on the nutritive degree, all living things, i.e., plants, animals and
humans, require nourishment and have the ability to reproduce. On the sensitive degree, only animals
and humans have the ability to move and perceive. Finally, on the rational degree, only humans are
capable of theoretical and practical functions. Following this, humans possess the nutritive, sensitive
and rational degrees of the soul. More importantly, only humans are capable of a life guided by reason.
Because this is so, happiness, too, is a uniquely human function for it can only be achieved through a
rationally directed life.

PLANTS ANIMALS HUMANS

Reproduction, Growth Mobility, Sensation Thought, Reflection

Figure 1. Nested hierarchy of the functions and activities of the soul.

ACTIVITY NO.1

HAVE YOU EVER LIVED A GOOD LIFE?

Not every person that is living “the dream” or “the good life” is actually living a good life. Take for instance
the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He surely lived well. After all, Escobar is recorded to have
been the wealthiest criminal in history. He had private jets, race cars and luxurious mansions. Surely, he
certainly draw happiness and satisfaction from his life. But was his life a good life? In this section you are
going to answer series of questions of what good life is all about in your own point of view.

Guide Questions:

1. For you what constitutes a good life?

2. Are you living the way you think you should? Why or why not?

3. Why are you here right now as a criminology student? Are you really working towards goals you really
care about? Why or why not?

4. Aristotle listed some of the ingredients of the good life namely (1) money and success, (2) pleasure,
(3) relationships and (4) reason and the virtues. Choose one out of these four ingredients that you
would prioritize or will make you live a good life and why?

5. Robert Nozick introduced an experience machine thought experiment to support the idea that
happiness requires pleasurable experiences that are “in contact with reality.” In this thought
experiment, people can choose to plug into a machine that induces exclusively pleasurable
experiences such as traveling the world, eating all the food you want or even date a celebrity and it
would feel so real. If you would be given a free ticket to become a respondent of this experiment
would you volunteer? Can you say that Nozick’s experiment can help you live a good life? Explain
your answer.
ASSESSMENT
Direction: Read each item carefully and identify what is being asked. Write your answer on your answer
sheet.

1. He believes that change is a process that is inherent in

things and that happiness is the “be all” and “end all” of
everything that we do.
2. A term which refers to a good life, a flourishing life, a
fulfilled and worthwhile life.
3-4. Aristotle stated that the ______ is the aim of the
theoretical sciences and the _____ is the end goal of the practical
ones?
5. A reason concerning the contemplation of unchangeable
truths.
6. It is a treatise on the nature of moral life and human
happiness based on the unique essence of human nature.
7. What is the most solid therefore the most important type of
relationship according to Aristotle?

8-10. Enumerate the Tripartite soul based on Aristotle’s Notion

ADDITIONAL/OPTIONAL ACTIVITY:
View the following YouTube videos about The Good Life
What is a Good Life?: Crash Course Philosophy #46
https://youtu.be/Ra1Dmz-5HjU
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness(Robert Waldinger)
https://youtu.be/8KkKuTCFvzl

REFERENCES
The Good Life
Retrieved from: https://www.coursehero.com
The Good Life
Retrieved from: https://www.scribd.com
What is the Good Life?
Retrieved from: https://www.planetofsuccess.com
Aristotle and the Good Life
Retrieved from: http://www.practical-philosophy.org.uk
GREAT JOB! YOU CAN NOW PROCEED TO THE NEXT MODULE