Eudemonism

The philosophy is a field of study that encompasses different branches and thoughts which is primarily related to aesthetics, ethics, morals, with the existence of human beings and language. One of these branches is known by the name of eudaemonism , a term that is an important part of the field of ethics . A term of Greek origin that translated into Spanish means happiness .

Characteristics of eudaemonism

Among its main characteristics we can mention the following:

• It is part of ethics .
• It works as a kind of justification for all the things that can be useful to achieve happiness.
• Its moral standards are based primarily on full happiness.
• It also focuses on the wholeness and harmony of the soul.
• It is a philosophical concept .
• He sees the happiness of the human being as the proper development of the use of reason.
• Consider that being carried away by passion can cause big problems .

Source

To know its origin, it is necessary to focus on Western civilization , specifically the Greek Empire, since it is considered to have its origin in Greece , during the 6th century BC.

History

The history of eudaemonism begins in ancient Greece mainly hand in hand with Aristotle . Many of the thinkers who lived during this time focused on forming theories and different confrontations of ideas. The theory was developed hand in hand with philosophy and ethics , all with the main objective of being able to explain the existence of the human being .

It had many important characters throughout its development, one of them Epicurus of Samos who, between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, promoted the idea that the human being should always achieve happiness by satisfying the needs of the human being. body. Many schools were founded during its development, which considered happiness as an important part of an individual’s life.

Many currents with the passage of time began to consider that eudaimonia was the highest good, for example, the Stoics. Even for the church , the term took on importance from the hand of Saint Thomas Aquinas who created a whole Christian ethical scheme where eudaimonia was placed as a blessing.

He also had as part of his history those who were against thought, such as Emanuel Kant , who completely rejected the point of view that said that happiness should be considered the most important good, because for him, happiness it was an ingredient of good but only if it was deserved.

Types of eudaemonism

There are two types of eudaemonism:

• Individual eudemonism : focuses on the pursuit of personal happiness
• Social eudemonism : it establishes that happiness is not only of an individual but rather it is collective.

How it differs from hedonism

It is important to remember that these two terms are closely linked with philosophy and that they also base their thoughts on ethical behavior in order to achieve a primary goal, which in this case is happiness .

The eudaemonism , focuses on putting happiness as the chief and supreme good that every human being wants to achieve, taking into account the good conduct and virtues of man. The hedonism meanwhile, focuses on the pleasure and sees it as the only supreme good that has the ability to give humans the happiness he craves.

Hedonism gives greater importance to the pursuit of pleasure based on the decisions made while eudaemonism always places doing good in the first place because through good actions benefits, goods and happiness can be generated for others .

Importance

Eudaemonism is an important philosophical trend mainly in the field of psychology because through its application a certain level of positive psychological well – being can be achieved that helps patients achieve happiness. It can help the individual to define and recognize their goals in life and to put into practice the different means available to them to achieve these goals.

This type of thinking has also encouraged people and companies around the world to help those most in need without expecting any kind of remuneration in return. It is a means by which human beings manage to do good, seeing these actions as the primary step to achieve happiness.

Representatives

Among its main representatives we can find:

• Aristotle : he is considered the main representative of eudaemonism because for him, happiness was paramount and he considered it as the main purpose of life.
• Socrates : founded the Cyrenaica school and considered that there were no limits in terms of the pursuit of pleasure and that this search was what produced happiness always keeping in mind prudence.
• Epicurus of Samos : He thought that all individuals were always in search of pleasure and that they also tried to stay away from all kinds of pain, for him, happiness was to satisfy basic pleasures and desires.

Examples of eudaemonism in everyday life

Some examples of eudaemonism that are practiced daily are the following:

• The NGO-type companies that are in charge of helping to solve the different problems that arise in the environment without any cost or interest.
• Teachers who dedicate part of their time to educate without receiving any type of payment, mainly in places where there is no good access to education.
• When a person manages to endure a moral or emotional blow without becoming depressed or giving up.
• Individuals who manage to master all the different emotions that come their way throughout life and move on.