Analysis of Aristotle's Chief Good
Uploaded by spootyhead on Apr 18, 2007
Analysis of Aristotle's Chief Good
Aristotle’s first argument concerning the nature of pleasure answers the question of whether of not pleasure is the Good. While he holds that pleasure is indeed, a good, it is just that, one of many. Pleasure is not however, the Chief Good. Aristotle backs up this first argument with some key notions about pleasure. Firstly, that pleasure can be enhanced or decreased through the addition, or taking away, of other factors. Wisdom, for example, can increase one’s experiencing of pleasure, while a negative attribute can diminish it.
Since the Chief Good cannot be made more or less desirable by other features, pleasure is not it. Second, Aristotle illustrates the idea that some pleasures are good, and some are negative, and some pleasures vary in degree. The Chief Good is not a variable. It is complete in itself. This again proves that pleasure is not the Good.
I cannot see many holes in this part of Aristotle’s argument concerning the make-up of pleasure. I am therefore inclined to agree with him. Take the example of gardening, an activity which many people enjoy. This pleasure can be increased or decreased by other factors, such as weather. If it is cold outside, gardening will be less pleasurable, while if it is very sunny, pleasure in gardening is increased. As the Chief Good does not vary in degrees, I concur with this aspect of Aristotle’s argument on pleasure.
Aristotle’s second assertion in his evaluation of the nature of pleasure is that pleasure is neither a movement, a process, nor, a transition. On the contrary, Aristotle believes it to be complete the whole time. He backs up this argument firstly, by stating that while becoming pleased (from displeased) might be a transition, pleasure itself, once reached, is not a process of this type. Second, he claims that while we can become pleased quickly of slowly, we can’t be pleased in the same way. For pleasure is not an activity or movement, but a state of being. He uses the example of walking, an action, and contrasts this with pleasure. Aristotle goes on to strengthen his argument by comparing the wholeness of pleasure to that of thought.
On this account of Aristotle’s nature of pleasure, I must disagree. There are several...