Aristotle’s 11 Excellences for Living a Flourishing Life
A life well-lived
In ancient Greece, eudaimonia was considered to be the highest human good one could achieve. In English, the word roughly translates to life well-lived. Eudaimonia wasn’t a place, or a state, or a feeling. It was more than that. It was a constant deed. Eudaimonia was an ever stretching activity.
Such activity was centered around the pursuit of virtue. We moderns usually think of virtue purely on a moral and spiritual level, which is definitely of highest importance, but to the Greeks, it was only part of what virtue signifies. Virtue in this context means doing anything with excellence. Strength and beauty were virtues, as was speaking well. You get the idea.
VIRTUE = EXCELLENCE
For Aristotle, arete “maxing” was the way to become all around superior. He believed, much like we do that man must be well-rounded and that maximizing one’s potential on every possible front was paramount to having a life well-lived. Aristotle thought that to live a life of TRUE happiness required the cultivation of 11 “excellences”
👇
Excellence in Morals 🧭
Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.
Aristotle believed that character was the foundational element in becoming a man of virtue, striving for to develop virtues of courage, temperance, justice and generosity.
We do this by practicing such things.
Learn by doing, by action.
Excellence in Judgment ⚖️
He who [has practical wisdom] is skilled in aiming, in accord with calculation, at what is best for a human being.
Judgement was considered a “master” virtue. Doing the right thing, at the right time, consistently. Every virtue can be taken to the extreme but all things in moderation. One can practice a virtue too much or too little. Courage may be a virtue, but recklessness is a vice.
A man must use his judgement to temper his behavior.
Excellence in Health and Fitness 👟
In a young man, beauty is the possession of a body fit to endure the exertion of running and contests of strength; which means that he is pleasant to look at; therefore, all-around athletes are the most beautiful, being naturally adapted both for contests of strength and for speed also.
For a man in his prime, beauty is fitness for the exertion of warfare, together with a pleasant but, at the same time, formidable appearance.
For an old man, it is to be strong enough for such exertion as necessary and to be free from pain through escaping the ravages of old age.
A man is limited by his body. Virtues must be housed in a fit body. Plain and simple. The more fit one is, the more potential one has. Having a healthy body not only makes a man look and feel good, but allows man to be more productive, more joyful. Health = wealth of happiness.
Exercise and check your diet. As Aristotle advocated for - be swift and strong.
Excellence in Attractiveness 💪
The chief forms of beauty are order and symmetry and definiteness.
This one seems a bit shallow, but it is a necessary reality that people judge you by your appearance. Everyone prefers beautiful things, whether it is a sculpture or a human. We can’t help what our face looks like, but that is where the previous Excellence comes in. Take a form of pride in your appearance.
Stand up straight, tuck your shirt in, stay well groomed. Don’t be vain, but do avoid looking shabby if you can help it so you can present yourself to others accordingly.
Excellence in Wealth 💰
Wealth as a whole consists in using things rather than in owning them; it is really the activity — that is the use — of property that constitutes wealth.
The specifics of Athenian “wealth” does not apply to us moderns, the activity of wealth does. To Aristotle, wealth didn’t so much have to do with acquiring or owning things, but by how one uses their own resources to have a productive and joyful life.
Excellence in Honor 🤝
Honor is the token of a man’s being famous for doing Good.
Honor is not just something inside of a man, for the ancient Greeks, the word meant having a worthy reputation. I think with this excellence, it is very important that you should not be living anxiously and caring what everyone thinks of you, however status does matter in society and they way people think about you and your character can either be a blessing or a detriment to living an enjoyable life.
It is not only a good thing, but a healthy thing to want to do great things.
Excellence in Organization 📂
Everything ought to have its own proper place and so be ready for use and not require to be searched for.
There is virtue in maintaining an ordered house. Aristotle advocated for the Spartan example in housekeeping - keep everything well organized. There is a place for everything and everything has a place. There is virtue in tidiness and cleanliness.
Excellence in Family Life 👪
There is no greater blessing on earth than when husband and wife rule their home in harmony of mind and will.
The home is the center of happiness. Or at least it should be. In his marriage, if a man is happy, such happiness spreads into many other areas of their life and vice versa. When a man experiences good relationships with his children, the joy meter maxes out. Again … and vice versa.
Aristotle argued that we must treat our wife honorably, be good fathers and teach excellence to our children, both morally and practically.
Excellence in Intellect 🧠
Life in accordance with intellect is best and pleasantest, since this, more than anything else, constitutes humanity.
To Aristotle, the highest object of man was to reason, rightfully separating us from animals.
We must cultivate this reason and seek to advance our intellectual capacity. Aristotle advocated for development in [memory, receptivity, and quickness of intuition.] A man of excellence should be dedicated to keeping a sharp mind and lifelong learning.
Excellence in Public Speaking 📣
Rhetoric is useful because things that are true and things that are just have a natural tendency to prevail over their opposites, so that if the decisions of judges are not what they ought to be, the defeat must be due to the speakers themselves, and they must be blamed accordingly.
The better your ability to communicate effectively, the more influential you are. Aristotle considered speaking poorly to be a vice. Your character and the fostering of it through all of the other excellences is what packs the most influence.
Excellence in Friendship 👋
Without friends, no one would choose to live, though he possessed all the other goods.
Humans are social and Aristotle knew of this obvious fact of life. To be good at being human meant to have good social skills. A man must also have good and noble friends. After all, you are who you associate with.
There are three kinds of friendship - those of utility, pleasure (enjoyment of company) and virtue. I wrote specifically about this here. 👇
A man should seek to be the best he possibly can be in mind, body and spirit.
The more we pursue virtue in all aspects of life, the more we can achieve eudaimonia. Remember that this is a constant and continuous activity.
All around us, man seeks the equation to happiness. That happiness is actually God. In virtue, and discipline we can get closer to happiness, closer to love itself, closer to God.
For Aristotle, happiness was attaining virtue, and in turn, excellence.
We have a lot of work to do.
Today, let us become a better man.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Nick | Catholic Manhood
Verso L'alto!