Aristotle's Theory of Happiness

Aristotle’s Background

Aristotle was born in Stageira, Chalcidice, in 384 BC, about 55 km (34 mi) east of modern-day Thessaloniki. His father Nicomachus was the personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedon. Aristotle was trained and educated as a member of the aristocracy. At about the age of eighteen, he went to Athens to continue his education at Plato's Academy. Aristotle remained at the academy for nearly twenty years, not leaving until after Plato's death in 347 BC. He then traveled with Xenocrates to the court of his friend Hermias of Atarneus in Asia Minor. While in Asia, Aristotle traveled with Theophrastus to the island of Lesbos, where together they researched the botany and zoology of the island. Aristotle married Hermias's adoptive daughter (or niece) Pythias. She bore him a daughter, whom they named Pythias. Soon after Hermias' death, Aristotle was invited by Philip II of Macedon to become the tutor to his son Alexander the Great in 343 B.C.
Aristotle was appointed as the head of the royal academy of Macedon. During that time he gave lessons not only to Alexander, but also to two other future kings: Ptolemy and Cassander. In his Politics, Aristotle states that only one thing could justify monarchy, and that was if the virtue of the king and his family were greater than the virtue of the rest of the citizens put together. Tactfully, he included the young prince and his father in that category. Aristotle encouraged Alexander toward eastern conquest, and his attitude towards Persia was unabashedly ethnocentric. In one famous example, he counsels Alexander to be 'a leader to the Greeks and a despot to the barbarians, to look after the former as after friends and relatives, and to deal with the latter as with beasts or plants'.

Plato’s Theory of Happiness (Summarized)

" He finally finds happiness by ascertaining the specific function of man. In the case of flute players, sculptors, and all craftsmen - indeed all who have some function and activity - 'good' and 'excellent' reside in their function. Now the same will be true of man, if he has a peculiar function to himself." - Aristotle
In his theory, he (Aristotle) stressed that man can only attain or acquire happiness if he can determine his function in life. In other words, knowing one’s self, playing our part and doing what we must do in accordance to the function that we are to do, are the only ways in which happiness can be attained by us. He (Aristotle) also cited in his theory that we do does are the things that makes us human but not those that would separate us from the rest. But on the other hand he suggested that the only way we can do better with our chosen function is to do it in an extraordinary way; thus, we are required to walk an extra mile. For example, if you are a teacher, it is expected from you that you will teach your students, so that they will be academically trained and fed. But actually, a teacher can do better than this. One of which is to train them (the students) to be productive and responsible citizens of their country.
In addition Aristotle also stressed that the function of human is activity of soul in accordance to reason. Meaning that as humans, the origin of our actions is the soul guided by certain reasons. If one could do the two types of reasoning (both practical and theoretical) and following reasoning, he would be the happiest person.

Why Aristotle did came up with this?

Aristotle analyzed the nature of the soul. Aristotle saw the soul as existing in three parts, each of which had a specific function: a.) Nutritive Soul (vegetative soul) - found in plants, animals and human beings; responsible for growth and reproduction; b.) Perceptive Soul (sensitive soul) - found in animals and man; responsible for perception via the senses; and c.) Rational Soul - found in humans only; responsible for thinking.
"it would be absurd if the end were amusement and if trouble and hardship throughout life would all be for the sake of amusing oneself." – Aristotle.
He (Aristotle) came up with this theory (in my own viewpoint) structured this way because he believes that humans are not petty, if given the chance they would always walk the extra mile. He would not be contented on doing what gives him pleasure but rather what could make others happy.