The Five Great Philosophies of LifeHyde, William De Witt
Philosophy
The Five Great Philosophies of Life
Hyde, William De Witt
Ethics; Philosophy, Ancient
If we see this half of Aristotle's truth, we see that the other is not
its contradiction but its complement. If we are sorely and grievously
tempted by the coffee, if we give it up with pain, if saying "No, I
thank you," comes fearfully hard, if we cannot forego it cheerfully
without so much as seriously considering the drinking of it as possible
for us, why then it reveals how little we care for the life and work of
the morrow; and since life and work are but a succession of to-morrows,
how little we care for our life and work anyway. If we had great aims
burning in our minds and hearts, wide interests to which body and soul
were devoted, it would not be a pain, it would be a pleasure, to give up
for the sake of them ten thousand times as big a thing as a cup of
coffee, if it stood in the way of their accomplishment. Yes; Aristotle
is right on both points. Pleasure isolated from our plan of life and
followed as an end will lead us into weakness and wickedness every time
we yield to its insidious solicitation. On the other hand, the resolute
and consistent prosecution of large ends and generous interests will
make a positive pleasure of everything we either endure or do to promote
those ends and interests. Pleasure directly pursued is the utter
demoralisation of life. Ends and interests, pursued for their own sakes,
inevitably carry with them a host of noble pleasures, and the power to
conquer and transform what to the aimless life would be intolerable
pains.
Aristotle rejects the Epicurean principle of pleasure; because, though a
proof that isolated tendencies are satisfied, it is no adequate
criterion of the satisfaction of the self as a whole. He rejects the
Stoic principle of conformity to law; because it fails to recognise the
supreme worth of individuality. He rejects the Platonic principle of
subordination of appetites and passions to a supreme good which is above
them; because he dreads above all things the blight of asceticism, and
strives for a good which is concrete and practical.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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