Home> Archive> 2015> Volume 5 Number 8 (Aug. 2015)
IJSSH 2015 Vol.5(8): 714-719 ISSN: 2010-3646
DOI: 10.7763/IJSSH.2015.V5.545

Happiness in View of Aristotle and Avicenna

Hojjatollah Raftari

Abstract—Euphoria [alternative terms: happiness, felicity, prosperity, success, is an important concept in the philosophy of ethics. It is, therefore, necessary to know what euphoria is. Is it a pleasure, a sense of wisdom, a science, goodness, or else, something beyond these? All humans are seeking euphoria, but they have their doubts about the weakness of euphoria. Human beings do not know what it is. However, they do know that euphoria is something consistent with man's creation and his ultimate goal. Accordingly, a euphoric or prosperous person is someone who is on his way towards God and the absolute perfection. Avicenna classifies euphoria into two parts: corporeal and spiritual. He thinks that the spiritual euphoria is original. He maintains that absolute euphoria cannot be obtained in this world; Aristotle, however, believes that euphoria can be obtained in this world. Both Avicenna and Aristotle state that euphoria has different stages, and that the prosperous man moves towards the pure reason, or the pure thinking, that is, God. Since God is infinite, the movement may continue up to infinity. This way, man achieves the true euphoria.

Index Terms—Euphoria (alternative terms are happiness, felicity, prosperity, success, etc.), supreme euphoria, virtue, Aristotle, Avicenna.

Islamic Azad university-Khoramabad Branch–Khoramabad–Lorestan state-Iran (e-mail: raftari_h@yahoo.com).

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Cite: Hojjatollah Raftari, " Happiness in View of Aristotle and Avicenna," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 5, no. 8, pp. 714-719, 2015.

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