Conatus: REVISED EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

C O N A T U S

22. The Good Life

‘Beauty is the promise of happiness.’

Krister Stendhal

Whilst the idea of finding some innate moral principles in the universe has more or less been abandoned, nonetheless this narrative still persists in our thinking. In fact, so deep-rooted is our notion of fairness that it seems unassailable. Some wider notions of what goodness may be about have also been touched on — in particular it was noted that ’The One’ of Plotinus — or rather spirit, the first emination of the One — also has the name of ‘the Good’. These thoughts, we have seen, are echoed in Schopenhauer, with grace bringing beauty and love into the world.

‘Agathon’ was the name given to the good life by Aristotle. He thought that it could only be achieved by fulfilling a ‘telos’, or end or purpose. There is also ‘eudaimonia’ from Aristotle — meaning something like the pleasure of our soul.

There are three things that constituted the good life according to Epicurus. Firstly, a pursuit of happiness — which to him meant the pursuit of truth. Secondly, an analysed life — thinking

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