Human Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Excellence - Essay Example Introduction In this paper, I will argue for a model of human excellence according to Aristotle but all the while making comparisons with other philosophers. These theories work to specify the character virtues or traits which lead to human flourishing (Karl, 1996). Such virtues include compassion, justice, courage, tolerance, intelligence, patience, imagination, persistence and creativity. Virtue in the regard is synonymous with goodness and human excellence. Human excellence materializes in our modern-day society in many kinds of forms and studies have revealed that the most significant way to realize excellent performance in fields such as music, sport, scholarship and professions is to practice. The attainment of excellence in such fields generally needs more or less 10 years of loyalty, embracing about 10,000 hours of effort (Karl, 1996). The Ancient Greeks had a perception of arete which meant an exceptional fitness for intention. This takes place in the works of Aristotle and Homer. An additional related notion was eudaimonia which was the happiness which resulted from a life fulfilled and well-lived, and being prosperous (David, 2006). The comparable theory in Muslim philosophy is called ihsan. According to Aristotle, the best good or "the god" is that which is desired for its own sake and for the sake which we wish for all other goods or ends. For the human beings, happiness or eudaimonia is the motion of the soul in harmony with arete which in Greek means excellence, what something is good for or virtue (Rosalind,1999). Eudaemonia is characterized by living well and doing well in the affairs of the world. Moral virtue is not the end of life since it can go with misery, inactivity, and unhappiness (Kelvin, 2007). But happiness, and the end of life, to which all things aim, is activity in accord with reason of the arete or peculiar excellence of any person. At the same time, happiness is an activity that involves both the moral and the intellectual aret e but some external goods are essential to exercise that activity. However, happiness can never be identified with wealth, pleasure, or honor even though nearly everyone tends to think so. On the other hand, excellence is the quality of being excellent or the circumstances of having good qualities in an prominent degree; illustrious merit; supremacy in virtue but a title of honor or respect is termed as his or her Excellency (Rosalind, 1999). Important questions How do we know what human excellence is? How does the definition compare among other moral theories? Can there be more a number of definitions? What does it feel to fulfill our human beings and how does this compare to virtuousness? How should we live our lives? What does the human excellence imply about the purpose of our existence? Views proposed Aristotle argued that every human being has a function or goal in life and that the goal of human existence is to do the things that are distinctly human and that they must do it well so as to be a good human being. Ethics as a subject begins with the works of Aristotle. In its original form, this subject is concerned with the question of virtue (Greek arete) of character (ethos), or having excellent and well-chosen habits (Aristotle, 1999). The attainment of an excellent character is in turn meant to be the highest goal of living well in eudaimonia, a Greek word regularly translated as well-being or