Western Ethics: Philosophies of Happiness and Morality
Homeric Poems: It is said that Western ethics was born in Greece, and the Homeric poems are a literary form that reflects a moral philosophy. This moral world is based on three elements:
- The Good: Consists of doing something useful for oneself and the community.
- Virtue: The ability to excel, which gives power. A virtuous person tries to excel and provide the best services to the community.
The Socratic Influence
Socrates is considered the creator of Western ethics because he raised fundamental questions. Socrates was interested in the realization of the individual. A person owes far more opportunities for reflection:
Morality is a matter of attitude, the attitude of seeking truth honestly. This search opposes dogmatism. Socrates calls his method “Maieutics.” The methods of discovering the truth are reflection and dialogue.
Three Paths to Happiness
There are three main philosophical approaches to happiness:
- Eudaemonism: Being happy is self-realization, achieving the goals that every human being sets for themselves.
- Self-Sufficiency: Being happy is being self-sufficient, i.e., not dependent on anything or anyone.
- Hedonism: Being happy is experiencing pleasure and avoiding pain.
Happiness and Self-Actualization (Hedonistic View)
This view conceives happiness as the ultimate goal for humans, which we should all achieve by whatever means necessary. Philosophers throughout history have supported this trend, including Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.
Eudaemonism qualifies happiness as:
- A perfect good that is sought for itself and not for a higher purpose.
- A good that is sufficient in itself.
- A good achieved through the exercise of human activity.
- A good achieved with continuous activity.
Happiness as Self-Sufficiency
Philosophers try to find what makes men happy. Followers of this movement claim that “the wise person is the one who can be happy.” This model is divided into:
Cynicism
This group of followers lived according to the laws of nature and claimed to be free radicals who should not be dependent on social factors or the pleasures of life. The founder of this movement was Antisthenes.
Stoicism
Its founder is Heraclitus of Ephesus. The search for inner peace and happiness is based on the assertion of the existence of an eternal Logos that makes things happen.
Happiness as Pleasure (Hedonism)
This perspective considers that moral people seek pleasure and avoid terror. To discover this empirically, research is needed on the motives of human conduct. There are also some subdivisions:
Epicureanism
Puts the ideal of wisdom in well-calculated enjoyment, where everything is calculated for pleasure as effectively as possible. Epicurus is its founder.
Utilitarianism
The utilitarians began in the UK and gradually expanded, promoting the desire to get the most pleasure for the greatest number of people. It considers that humans have social feelings whose satisfaction is a source of pleasure, including sympathy.