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Philosophy q&a: What is the connection between eudaimonia and virtue?
E. wrote: What is the logical connection between the eudaimonic life and virtue? They’re frequently talked about separately and I’ve never heard anyone show how they are related. Is it that if you’re using reason to decide how to behave, your rationality should guide you to pick virtuous behavior over non-virtuous behavior? Or is it that acting virtuously in any situation is the same as acting rationally?
This is an excellent question, and the answer depends on which Hellenistic school we are considering. In turn this is because while they all pretty much use the same definition of virtue, they differ wildly in their conception of eudaimonia — and therefore on how the two are connected to each other.
Let’s start with virtue. The Greek term is arete, which means excellence. Arete applies to anything, not just ethics, and not even just human behavior. One can be an excellent athlete, for instance, regardless of whether one is also an ethical human being. We can also talk about an excellent knife, or an excellent lion.
Excellence is measured by how well someone or something performs its function. An excellent athlete is one that outperforms others and wins a lot of competitions at the Olympics. An excellent knife is one that cuts smoothly and precisely. An excellent lion is one…
