Aristotle on happiness : the communal versus the contemplative life

Abstract

In this thesis, I propose a solution to the apparent incompatibility between Aristotle's account of virtuous friendship and his idea of the contemplative life in the Nicomachean Ethics. In the first chapter, I outline the contrast between communal and contemplative life. In the second chapter, I present each of the four attempts Aristotle makes at resolving this issue and show how he fails at each. Finally, in the third chapter, I discuss why both the communal and the contemplative lives are necessary for human happiness and how it is possible to integrate the two. I conclude this paper with a discussion of Buddhist and Christian monastic life as providing a particularly illuminating model for understanding Aristotle's notion of happiness, as they comprise both contemplation and virtuous friendship.