Q2.

Reasons why pleasure is not the highest good but leads to happiness

Pleasure is not a good character as it promotes laziness and laxity in the people who cease to work hard to meet their objectives. According to Aristotle pleasure is neither good nor bad; an explanation for this can be a pleasure is not a good character like it can be caused by the use of substances which are harmful to the human health.  Being that it is not bad, it is also good as it brings about happiness to the people. This paper will explain the reason for this situation of pleasure bringing happiness yet it is not a better virtue in a person (Kenny, 2016)

The Aristotle argument also provides a distinction between pleasure and happiness. Eudaimonia is a state of well being that is brought by happiness and pleasure. The individual feels he or she has self-worth and has a good spirit. The joy that brings happiness of the soul and the person feels complete by self. The happy individual can also think that he or she is achieving self-actualization according to Maslow’s theory of self-actualization and human needs (Heinaman, 2017).

The good is the thing that performs proper functions, and when someone has good qualities, the outcomes of his or her behaviors are right.  A happy person tends to implement some of the exercises that are important for the health of individuals; some of the leisure activities performed by the people are entertaining to them and make them feel good. Some of them can be hobbies, and they enjoy doing that for pleasure. At times they can be career based, and one lives whole life doing the best out of him or her (Kenny, 2016)

Pleasure itself can be a side product of the activity, and a good example is in the situation where due to some events like playing football and getting good results like winning and being successful brings pleasure as the team members will be praised and all this is happiness and pleasure altogether. Happiness brought about as a result of substance abuse is not the best one as it can show some signs of alteration with the mental status and improper judgment and reasoning reduced. Some people view happiness in terms of the wealth and honor that they have while others consider it in terms of sensual pleasures. The satisfaction obtained from different ways cannot be equal and are handled differently (Heinaman, 2017).

The extremes of pleasure are not suitable in a human being as it leads to addiction in the behaviors of the abused causal factors like use of substances to induce happiness especially smoking bhang. Pleasure and happiness can mean the same thing as they go with each other hand in hand. The difference between the two is remarkable and pleasure when used in hedonism it can mean happiness. Pleasure can also be brought about by some other activities such as taking a delicious meal, making love and the others but this does not guarantee total happiness because it is all pleasure. Real people determine their unique feature and try to work hard to implement the behavior if it is excellent (Kenny, 2016)

There are also some studies that show that pleasure is dopamine related while happiness involves the hormone serotonin. Happiness in a person can mean the individual is at peace in mind and all is well but someone having pleasure may or may not be at peace. When stressed, some people look for ways to relieve the stressing factors and but is only temporary and after the effect of pleasure is over then the issues making them anxious will remain to be there. For the time the action is on as in an example of substance abuse to induce pleasure the person will feel happy for a given period. Happiness is essential in life as the individual does not lose hope when tough issues come about (Heinaman, 2017).

The social life of people is an essential factor to consider when doing this as it is one of the health promoters through happiness, making friendships and socializing with people of different categories is appropriate in for people. Being idle and introvert where one rarely interacts with people can reduce life quality as he or she will be unhappy most of the times. For the men women give men leisure as in for good health of a man psychologically he should at least in a day interact and share ideas with a lady for at least five minutes per day (Kenny, 2016)

Conclusion

Pleasure can be due to substance abuse while happiness cannot be due to substance abuse. Different people react differently to situations that they experience and at least one should be an extrovert to interact with people to at least reduce boredom that might have occurred. Sharing of challenges is advised to the people to avoid depression.

References

Heinaman, R. (2017). Plato and Aristotle’s ethics. Routledge.

Kenny, A. (2016). The Aristotelian Ethics: A study of the relationship between the Eudemian and Nicomachean ethics of Aristotle. Oxford University Press.