善的型与幸福——解析两种考察“好生活”的路径

The Idea of Good and Happiness——Analysis of Two Perspectives of a Good Life

具有师承关系的柏拉图和亚里士多德都继承了苏格拉底讨论的主题,即"何为好生活"。他们关注当时流行意见中经常提及的聪明之人和善良之人,分别以善的型和良好的教养为始点展开对好生活的考察。柏拉图认为善的型是思维领域和一切美好事物的原因,灵魂之眼对它的观照确保人认识真、做高尚的事。而亚里士多德则在批判善的型的基础上,认为最高善是合于完善的德性的实现活动——幸福,作为灵魂中理智德性的明智为实践活动提供正确的选择。因始点和方法的不同,他们展现了两种考察好生活的路径,但其中却隐藏着惊人的相关和相似。

Both Plato and Aristotle,with the same mentoring realtionship,continued Socrates＂main topic：What is a good life？ ＂. They focused their attention on the smart people and/or kind-hearted people,often mentioned in popular opinions at that time. They took the Idea of Good and good upbringing respectively as their point of departue for their study of a good life. Plato thought that the Idea of Good was the cause of the realm of thinking and all the good things,and the eye of the soul,by scrutinizing at it,made sure that people knew the truth and did noble things. By contrast,Aristotle,based on the criticism of the Idea of Good,held that the highest goodness was to achieve the perfect virtuous activity,i. e. happiness. Besides,he thought that wisdom,as the intellectual virtue of the soul,provided the right choices for practical activities. They were different in their points of departure and methods,but they showed two perspectives of a good life,and there were amazing correlations and similarities between them.