Happiness in the Active Life
Happiness is virtuous use of one’s own powers. This covers both acting-toward-rest and acting-while-at-rest, as both presuppose a power in some righteous act. But I want to consider a particular kind of happiness, namely happiness in active life. This happiness depends crucially on the four cardinal virtues. Its first part therefore is living according to (sophisticated) rule utilitarianism. One must (1) fear and follow the law created (4) prudently, in the service to producing best consequences. Its second part may be called true-to-oneself opportunism. One must (2) be a master tactician and adapt to change but do so (3) without compromising but rather in order to enhance his integrity.
Posted: August 26th, 2008 under Ethics, Philosophy.