Eudaimonia

As the saying goes, much is lost in translation, and the truth of this statement often is in evidence when we make use of words originating in ancient Greece, perhaps the most prominent example of this loss or distortion is found in the term eudaimonia. The term, if not precisely ubiquitous. is commonly enough encountered that many believe that they can define the word, and do so as 'happiness'. While not an incorrect definition, it certainly is an inadequate one, for the term, to the ancient Greeks, encompasses far more than mere happiness. The true translation of the term is "having a good indwelling spirt or daemon." But what does this mean, precisely? 

Perhaps the best we can do today to recapture what the ancient Greeks understood as being represented in the use of the term is the concept of 'human flourishing'. Aristotle believed that the way to flourishing was through arete, which essentially is understood as virtue or excellence, with excellence being understood as the fullest realization of something's or someone's inherent function. For Aristotle, the arete of a knife, for example, is realized when the knife fulfills its intended function, and cuts well. An eye achieves arete if it performs well its function of vision. Thus the virtue of an eye is present to the extent that the eye performs its inherent function of seeing. A human being, per Aristotle (amongst others), achieves arete if that individual is able to perform well his or her various functions, such as courage and intelligence, thereby realizing his or her fullest potential. Given the nature of a human being, as Aristotle understood this nature, that is, given that the capacity for reason is greatest in a human being beyond all other creatures, then the arete of a human being consists of a life dedicated to contemplation, of thinking about thinking, and the wisdom that results from this life of contemplation.

Eudaimonia, then, is far more than is represented in the modern usage of the term happiness, and is perhaps best understood as the concept of 'human flourishing', with this flourishing of course involving human happiness, but substantially more. We, as human beings, achieve eudaimonia through virtue or excellence in all we do, and we endeavor to develop fully our capacity for courage, for reason, for living well through contemplation of the good life for ourselves and for others. If we do so, if we value arete and strive for its realization, then we achieve well-being, and we can be said to possess a good indwelling spirit. We then experience the blessed state of eudaimonia.