“Virtue is a character trait a human being needs for eudaimonia, to flourish or live well.” -Hursthouse In my readings for Bioethics, I came across a sweet term: Eudaimonia. “Aristotle believed that the purpose of human existence is to achieve a state of eudaemonia,which is a difficult word to translate. “Happiness” is too superficial and subjective. We may feel happy if we satisfy our desires but this is no guarantee of any enduring contentment. To be eudaemon is rather to have the sort of happiness that is deep, lasting, and worth having. It is a deeply rooted joy in the dynamic process of our lives. It is hard to find a single word to sum up this concept but the closest approximation is “flourishing”. A human person flourishes and leads a good life when she fulfils the purpose and function of human beings. Philippa Foot encapsulated this wonderfully: Men and women need to be industrious and tenacious of purpose not only so as to be able to house, clothe... Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘bioethics’ Category
The Plan of Eudaimonia and Neo-Aristotelian Virtue Ethics
Repost: Medical Care, right or privilege?
I am having trouble staying silent on the current loud and rowdy health reform argument (I haven’t really seen much debate), then again, I haven’t been silent. Here is a repost of my position, first published in February 2008, layed out as clearly as I can make it. ———————————————————————————————– For over 20 years our country and its undying commitment to capitalism have tried desperately to slow mushrooming healthcare costs, and failed miserably. HMOs, Capitation, things that business was confident would succeed where those fiscally incompetent doctors failed, fell flat. Patients, it seems, did not tolerate their health and well-being treated as a business. I suppose business was part of the problem. After during WWII, with wages fixes and worker shortage, jobs starting... Read the rest of this entry »