Aristotle s Views On Society - 2536 Words

Aristotle and J.S. Mill are two of the most well known philosophers who both believe that some pleasures are seen as higher or more desirable than others. However, do both their theories really relate to each other or is there a degree of conflict between them that reveals their difference in views? Although both Aristotle’s view along with J.S. Mill’s view may originate many years ago, they still have an impact on society today and what we can learn from them, especially in modern-day Canada. Ultimately, we will be looking into both the similarities and differences of these two philosophers views and determining whom we can most learn from as Canadians in today’s society. As their views may differentiate, both these philosopher’s have a†¦show more content†¦Who is Aristotle one may ask? Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who dates back to the year 384 BC. Aristotle was a philosopher who studied numerous subjects and ideas ranging from geology, epi stemology, biology, and of course happiness (Aristotle, 2009). Aristotle has a very unique view on happiness that is still looked at the same today, as it was when he first came up with it. Aristotle states that one does not simply become happy after doing a small task or playing with friend for the day. He states that one does not just become happy, but they strive for happiness throughout their entire lives and then have finally achieved it once they have passed (Aristotle, 2009). The main reasoning behind this is that one cannot always be happy by doing one thing, but they must do a number of things in order to strive and reach for that certain level of happiness. For instance, while doing research I came across a great analogy that I thought summed up Aristotle’s view perfectly. The article stated that we cannot claim children are truly happy, any more than we can say an acorn in a tree (Cohen, 2008). That being said, there is so much more to happiness then some think. Su re we may seem happy after hanging out with friends for one day, but there is simply just so much more beyond that when talking about happiness in our lives. Happiness is