ETHICS

According to Aristotle, man's form comprises a soul, which has a plant-like part, an animal part, and a rational part.So how should we live?What does it require to live a good life?He answered that man can only achieve happiness by using all his abilities and capabilities.He held that there are three forms of happiness.The first form is alife of pleasure and enjoyment.The second is that happiness is a life as a free and responsible citizen and the third form of happiness is a life as a thinker and philosopher.
Aristotle then emphasized that all three criteria must be present at the same time for man to find happiness and fulfillment.He rejected all forms of imbalance.Had he lived today he might have said that a person who only develops his body lives alife that is just as unbalanced as someone who only uses his head.Both extremes are an expression of a warped way of life.
The same principles applies in human relationships, where he advocated the "Golden Mean." We must neither be cowardly nor rash, but courageous(too little courage is cowardice, too much is rashness), neither miserly nor extravagant but liberal (not liberal enough is miserly, too liberal is extravagant). The same goes for eating. It is dangerous to eat too little, but also dangerous to eat too much. The ethics of Plato and Aristotle contain echoes of Greek medicine:only by exercising balance and temperance will I achieve a happy and harmonious life.

Based on the book "Sophies World" by Jostein Gaarder.