Aristotles Conception of Happiness Essay Example for Free

Aristotles Conception of Happiness Essay According to Aristotle, only a virtuous person can be truly happy. He doesn’t say we should aim at happiness, but rather that we do aim at happiness. Everyone wants to be happy and have happiness in his or her life, but people do not know how to go about this. If one lives in accordance with appropriate virtues then he or she will achieve this happiness. However, what is happiness? Most people think happiness as a physical pleasure or honor, so they do things they think is good. They think things like money, pleasure, and honor will bring them closer to happiness, but these things do not equal happiness. People think that theses things will bring them happiness, but that is because they do not know what happiness really is. These things are a mean towards obtaining happiness. Happiness is the fulfilling of human function, or the activity of the soul according to virtue. Happiness comes from the Greek word â€Å"eudaimonia,† which is fulfillment and success to the highest form of happiness. It is the central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. Aristotle says that every action seeks some good and every action seeks an end. Everyone is seeking the highest end, or the complete end, which is ultimately happiness. If someone wants to achieve happiness, they must first be a virtues person, or a â€Å"good† person. A virtue is achieved by maintaining the mean, or balance between two excesses. But it is not enough to think about doing the right thing or even intending to do it; one must actually have to do it. In order to understand what is good, we must know that there are three types of life: (1) Pleasure, according to the ignorant and vulgar; (2) Honor, according to the people who think happiness is doing well or living well; and (3) Study. The men who choose pleasure put pursuing a life of enjoyment above all else. And the men who choose honor wanted to be praised for the things they have done, so they are really only doing these acts for selfish reasons. And finally the men who choose study do it for their own sake of being to gain knowledge for themselves. Aristotle explains these three types of lives because we can now dismiss them as not being considered â€Å"good. † These views contradict the idea of good and thus support the idea of happiness being the â€Å"universal good. † Yet, happiness is not instantaneous. It must be achieved over time. Aristotle argues â€Å"Are we, then, to call no man happy as long as he lives, but to wait for end, as Solon said? And supposing we have to allow this, do we mean that he actually is happy after he is dead? † (Aristotle 23) In other words, can a man be called happy during his life? Or do we have to wait until he has passed to determine whether or not he had lived a happy life? Aristotle believes that happiness consists of achieving though the course of a lifetime in all goods, such as health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc. These goods are also known as external goods and one needs these externals goods to be happy. Aristotle states, â€Å"For a man is not very likely to be happy if he is very ugly in person, or of low birth, or alone in the world, or childless, and perhaps still less if he has worthless children or friends, or has lost goods ones that he had. † (Aristotle 21) Aristotle’s conception of happiness supports the view of only the virtuous person can be said to be truly happy. â€Å"Happiness is believed to be the most desirable thing in the world† (Aristotle 14).

Depression in To Seem the Stranger, Fell of Dark, Carrion Comfort, and No Worst :: To Seem the Stranger Essays

Depression in To seem the Stranger, Fell of Dark, Carrion Comfort, and No Worst  Ã‚   I believe that there can be seen a progressive deepening of depression throughout Hopkins' so-called terrible sonnets. The poems I intend to look at will show this, starting with "To seem the Stranger lies my Lot", "I wake and Feel the Fell of Dark", "Carrion Comfort", "No Worst, there is None", and finally "My own Heart let me more have Pity on". The first of the above poems shows the beginning of Hopkins' descent into depression. This is followed by "I wake and Feel ...", illustrating Hopkins descending further into depression. The depths to which Hopkins sank are shown in "Carrion Comfort" and in "No Worst, there is None". Following this, "My own Heart ..." represents the beginnings of an ascent out of depression, and into a more stable frame of mind. Although the order of the poems are set by the editors of various collections, I think that the above order is the order in which they were written, based on their content. The symptoms of the early stages of depression, that of paranoia, listlessness and feelings of isolation are recounted in 'To seem the Stranger lies my Lot'. Although in some cases, these feelings tend to be a result of mental imbalance, and have little or no relationship with external reality, in Hopkins' case it would seem that his feelings of isolation are in some senses valid. Following Hopkins' decision to become a Catholic, he came to be rejected by his family. This then would explain his bitterness: Father and Mother dear, Brothers and sisters are in Christ not near And he my peace my parting, sword and strife. To seem the Stranger lies my Lot, lines 2-4 This bitterness he feels about the gulf that now exists between himself and his family is expressed in the irony of Christ being both the bringer of peace, and the cause of the "sword and strife". The paranoia common to the early stages of depression is also expressed: Only what word Wisest my heart breeds dark heaven's baffling ban Bars or hell's spell thwarts. To seem the Stranger lies my Lot, lines 11-13 The alliteration both of the repeated 'b' and 'ell' sounds show frustration at his being not allowed to write his poetry. He transfers the decision of his Jesuit superiors to "ban" his poetry to being one of God himself.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 19

Sister Sailor-Mouth I'm at the Crystal Lake Diner with Tiffany; we're in the same booth as last time, eating our single-serving box of raisin bran, drinking hot tea. We did not say anything on the walk here; we did not say anything when we were waiting for our server to bring the milk, bowl, and box. I'm starting to understand that we have the type of friendship that does not require many words. As I watch her spoon the brown flakes and sugared raisins into her pink lips, I try to decide whether I want to tell her about what happened at the Eagles game. For two days now I have been thinking about that little kid crying, hiding behind his father's leg, and I feel so guilty about hitting the big Giants fan. I did not tell my mom, because the news would have upset her. My father has not talked to me since the Eagles lost to the Giants, and I don't see Dr. Cliff until Friday. Plus, I'm starting to think Tiffany is the only one who might understand, since she seems to have a similar problem and is always exploding, like on the beach when Veronica slipped and mentioned Tiffany's therapist in front of me. I look at Tiffany, who is sitting slouched, both elbows on the table. She's wearing a black shirt that makes her hair look even blacker. She has on too much makeup, as usual. She looks sad. She looks angry. She looks different from everyone else I know – she cannot put on that happy face others wear when they know they are being watched. She doesn't put on a face for me, which makes me trust her somehow. Suddenly Tiffany looks up, stares into my eyes. â€Å"You're not eating.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I say, and look down at the gold sparkles in the table's plastic coating. â€Å"People will think I'm a hog if they see me eating while you watch.† So I dip my spoon into the bowl, drip milk onto the sparkly table, and shovel a small mound of milk-soaked raisin bran into my mouth. I chew. I swallow. Tiffany nods and then looks out the window again. â€Å"Something bad happened at the Eagles game,† I say, and then wish I hadn't. â€Å"I don't want to hear about football.† Tiffany sighs. â€Å"I hate football.† â€Å"This really isn't about football.† She continues to stare out the window. I look and confirm that there are only parked cars outside, nothing of interest. And then I am talking: â€Å"I hit a man so hard – lifting him up off the ground even – I thought I maybe killed him.† She looks at me. Tiffany squints and sort of smiles, like she might even laugh. â€Å"Well, did you?† â€Å"Did I what?† â€Å"Kill the man.† â€Å"No. No, I didn't. I knocked him out, but he eventually woke up.† â€Å"Should you have killed him?† Tiffany asks. â€Å"I don't know.† I am amazed by her question. â€Å"I mean, no! Of course not.† â€Å"Then why did you hit him so hard?† â€Å"He threw my brother down to the concrete, and my mind just exploded. It was like I left my body and my body was doing something I did not want to do. And I haven't really talked about this with anyone and I was hoping you might want to listen to me so that I could – â€Å" â€Å"Why did the man throw your brother to the ground?† I tell her the whole story – start to finish – letting her know I can't get the big guy's son out of my mind. I'm still seeing the little guy hiding behind his father's leg; I'm seeing the little guy crying, sobbing, so obviously afraid. I also tell her about my dream – the one where Nikki comforts the Giants fan. When I finish the story, Tiffany says, â€Å"So?† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So I don't get why you're so upset?† For a second I think she might be kidding me, but Tiffany's face does not crack. â€Å"I'm upset because I know Nikki will be mad at me when I tell her what happened. I am upset because I disappointed myself, and apart time will surely be extended now because God will want to protect Nikki until I learn to control myself better, and like Jesus, Nikki is a pacifist, which is the reason she did not like me going to the rowdy Eagles games in the first place, and I don't want to be sent back to the bad place, and God, I miss Nikki so much, it hurts so bad and – â€Å" â€Å"Fuck Nikki,† Tiffany says, and then slips another spoonful of raisin bran into her mouth. I stare at her. She chews nonchalantly. She swallows. â€Å"Excuse me?† I say. â€Å"The Giants fan sounds like a total prick, as do your brother and your friend Scott. You didn't start the fight. You only defended yourself. And if Nikki can't deal with that, if Nikki won't support you when you are feeling down, then I say fuck her.† â€Å"Don't you ever talk about my wife like that,† I say, hearing the sharp anger in my voice. Tiffany rolls her eyes at me. â€Å"I won't allow any of my friends to talk about my wife like that.† â€Å"Your wife, huh?† Tiffany says. â€Å"Yes. My wife, Nikki.† â€Å"You mean your wife, Nikki, who abandoned you while you were recovering in a mental institution. Why isn't your wife, Nikki, sitting here with you right now, Pat? Think about it. Why are you eating fucking raisin bran with me? All you ever think about is pleasing Nikki, and yet your precious Nikki doesn't seem to think about you at all. Where is she? What's Nikki doing right now? Do you really believe she's thinking about you?† I'm too shocked to speak. â€Å"Fuck Nikki, Pat. Fuck her! FUCK NIKKI!† Tiffany slaps her palms against the table, making the bowl of raisin bran jump. â€Å"Forget her. She's gone. Don't you see that?† Our server comes over to the table. She puts her hands on her hips. She presses her lips together. She looks at me. She looks at Tiffany. â€Å"Hey, sister sailor-mouth,† the server says. When I look around, the other customers are looking at my foulmouthed friend. â€Å"This isn't a bar, okay?† Tiffany looks at the server; she shakes her head. â€Å"You know what? Fuck you too,† Tiffany says, and then she is striding across the diner and out the door. â€Å"I'm just doin' my job,† says the server. â€Å"Jeez!† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I say, and hand the server all the money I have – the twenty-dollar bill my mother gave me when I said I wanted to take Tiffany out for raisin bran. I asked for two twenties, but Mom said I couldn't give the server forty dollars when the meal only costs five, even after I told Mom about overtipping, which I learned from Nikki, as you already know. The waitress says, â€Å"Thanks, pal. But you better go after your girlfriend.† â€Å"She's not my girlfriend,† I say. â€Å"She's just a friend.† â€Å"Whatever.† Tiffany is not outside of the diner. I look down the street and see her running away from me. When I catch up to her, I ask what's wrong. She doesn't answer; she keeps running. At a quick pace, we jog side by side back into Collingswood, all the way to her parents' house, and then Tiffany runs around to the back door without saying goodbye.

The Correlation Between Sleep Deprivation and Academic...

In a study conducted by Gilbert and Weaver, the correlation between sleep deprivation, sleep quality and academic performance was examined (Gilbert and Weaver, 2010). The degree of knowledge regarding this particular subject has not been well studied because of the small sample sizes used. As a result, the study investigates the link between the sleep habits of college students and academic performance in larger samples. The researchers hypothesized that the participants who had a higher level of sleep deprivation would have lower academic performance, measured in GPA, than those who practice adequate sleep habits. The survey acquired the â€Å"age, gender, GPA, and the number of courses on their transcript that shows dropped,†¦show more content†¦Lowry et al used a convenience sample survey of 103 college students, 50 males and 53 females, ages 18-45 years old. They employed a questionnaire that included 19 questions relating to sleep quality and sleep deprivation; however , the first 15 were taken and scored from the Groninger Sleep Quality Questionnaire which uses choices of true or false to measure the student’s quality of sleep. Questions 16-19 of the survey were researcher-made and assessed the student’s level of partial sleep deprivation and quantity of sleep during the past week as well as in an average week (Lowry et al., 2010). This was achieved by incorporating open-ended numerical responses. One question was also included about how many â€Å"all-nighters† the student had experienced in the past year (Lowry et al., 2010). The second portion of the survey included another open-ended question that helped gather data regarding academic success by asking the student’s GPA. Although unrelated to our proposal, they also collected the demographics including the area of study and major. Correlations were then calculated between the student GPAs and the other five variables in the study. The questionnaire was taken up imm ediately upon completion. The six variables that were assessed from the participant’s survey responses include sleep quality, academicShow MoreRelatedSleep Deprivation And Academic Performance1430 Words   |  6 PagesSleep Deprivation and Academic Performance in Adolescents Sleep deprivation is an increasing issue with adolescents. Statistics show that 60% of high schoolers report extreme daytime sleepiness. 20% to 33% of those high schools report falling asleep in class at least once during the week. Daytime sleepiness is only a small issue about sleep deprivation in students. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts school performance adolescent students because it interferes with brain development, create moodRead MoreSleep Quality And Academic Performance Essay1510 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst fundamental routine of sleep changes dramatically. College students rarely find themselves getting about eight hours of sleep every day. Thus started the idea of how a student’s academic performance can be affected by the amount of sleep they get. The research article, â€Å"Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Students: A Wake-Up Call for College Psychologists† written by Steven P. Gilbert and Cameron C. Weaver, represents the perfect study on how sleep quality and quantity can affectRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Academic Performance852 Words   |  4 Pagesundergraduate students is sleep deprivation. I am interested in this topic not simply because I am a student in the School of Public Health, but because I am an undergraduate student that is also affected by the lack of adequate sleep. Topic Definition Development For the Research Review Article, I wanted to understand how sleep deprivation affects undergraduates’ academic performance. My topic question is as follow: What is the underlining cause of sleep deprivation in undergraduate studentsRead MoreThesis Statement : Sleep Deprivation1414 Words   |  6 PagesEng 112.0004 Mrs. B. Peterson October 13, 2017 Sleep deprivation Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation is harmful to college students because it hinders student learning and jeopardizes their safety while driving. I. Learning a. Memory b. Lack of attention II. Safety a. Fatigue b. Decision making Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive andRead MoreCollege Students Minds Are Getting Enough Sleep1618 Words   |  7 Pagesstudents’ minds is getting enough sleep. Many college students may not think sleep is an integral part of life, when in fact many researchers have found how truly important it is. College is a time when students are transitioning into young adulthood, with increasing amounts of personal responsibility (Brown, Soper, Buboltz , 2001). This increase in responsibility, that at one point didn’t exist because of familial support, can lead to an interference in student sleep patterns (Pilcher, Ginter, SadowskyRead MoreRelationship Between Technology Consumption And Sleep Deprivation984 Words   |  4 PagesThere exists a reasonably sized collection of studies that examine the relationship betwe en technology consumption and sleep deprivation. In this technology driven Information Age many researchers believe it is important to determine the affect of such electronic devices on the population’s health and day-to-day life. While measuring scales and values differ among articles, there is an agreement among researchers that in bed technology use is positively associated with Insomnia. The relationshipRead MoreSleep Deprivation And The Use Of Technology1222 Words   |  5 PagesThe objective of this study is to conclude if there is a correlation between ADHD symptoms, depression, sleep deprivation and the use of technology. The participants in this study will be 200 male and female third, fourth and fifth grade students from all socioeconomic levels. These students will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) the majority of classroom assignments completed using technology 2) technology is not used to complete schoolwork. Data will be collected from parents a ndRead MoreSleep Deprivation And Its Effects On Children Essay1249 Words   |  5 PagesRichard Simmons once said, â€Å"There is no such thing as sleep deprivation, there is only caffeine deficiency.† College students everywhere have claimed this as their motto. From art majors who stay up late practicing charcoal and shading, to nursing majors who are stressing all night studying for their exams and practicums, to engineering majors who think a good night’s sleep is three or four hours, sleep has rarely been prioritised in college. Psychology Professors at the University of Hong Kong,Read MoreThe Relationship Between Sleep Deprivation And The Human Body1237 Words   |  5 PagesJason Sohn WRS 102 Roger Graves October 9, 2015 Annotated Bibliography: The relationship between sleep deprivation and the human body The act of sleeping is well acknowledged as an essential and healthy part of every human being s life. Until the 1950s, sleep was widely believed to be a passive act that every human had to go through at night. Through extensive study and research, scientists have learned that sleeping affects our physical and emotional functioning during the day, including mentalRead MoreSleep Habits And Academic Performance2225 Words   |  9 Pages Sleep Habits and Academic Performance Johnny Christopherson University of South Dakota â€Æ' Literature Review Many factors such as self-concept, moods and sleepiness influence the academic performance and motivation of college students. Research collections and recent data have suggested that sleep is very important and beneficial for memory, comprehension, attention, and academic success. This data has uncovered a noticeable relationship between amount and quality of sleep with learning abilities