Eudaimonia
So what does “Eudaimonia” mean? It has been translated to mean “human flourishing” or the innate potential of each individual to live a life of enduring happiness, penetrating wisdom, optimal well-being, and authentic love and compassion.
If you are curious I suggest you explore this concept - Google it, dig around and read about the variations of the what people use to define this term. I like Socrates' take: like Aristotle after him, Socrates emphasized the role and importance of arête very heavily - in fact, he believed it was both a means and an end to human happiness. In pursuit of what we now commonly refer to as ‘flourishing’, he encouraged people to ask themselves, and others, what was ‘good’ for our souls (Cooper, 1996). He believed, it is argued, that eudaimonia was ‘justly living well’, and that in doing so, we seek not experiential pleasure or ‘honor’ in isolation, but a good and happy life, guided by our virtues (Cooper, 1997; Bobonich, 2010; Brown, 2012).
See this website for more in-depth reading. The blurb about Socrates above is from this site, and it's a great starting point for learning about the concept of Eudaimonia and Eudaimonic Well-Being.
Then there is this site, which includes the following contrast between Hedonia and Eudaimonia:
Hedonia, in short, is about:
Other important attributes and distinctions:
Hedonia is associated with:
If you are curious I suggest you explore this concept - Google it, dig around and read about the variations of the what people use to define this term. I like Socrates' take: like Aristotle after him, Socrates emphasized the role and importance of arête very heavily - in fact, he believed it was both a means and an end to human happiness. In pursuit of what we now commonly refer to as ‘flourishing’, he encouraged people to ask themselves, and others, what was ‘good’ for our souls (Cooper, 1996). He believed, it is argued, that eudaimonia was ‘justly living well’, and that in doing so, we seek not experiential pleasure or ‘honor’ in isolation, but a good and happy life, guided by our virtues (Cooper, 1997; Bobonich, 2010; Brown, 2012).
See this website for more in-depth reading. The blurb about Socrates above is from this site, and it's a great starting point for learning about the concept of Eudaimonia and Eudaimonic Well-Being.
Then there is this site, which includes the following contrast between Hedonia and Eudaimonia:
Hedonia, in short, is about:
- pleasure, enjoyment, and satisfaction
- and the absence of distress.
- authenticity: clarifying one’s true self and deep values, staying connected with them, and acting in accord with them
- meaning: understanding a bigger picture, relating to it, and contributing to it. This may include broader aspects of one´s life or identity, a purpose, the long term, the community, society, even the entire ecosystem
- excellence: striving for higher quality and higher standards in one’s behavior, performance, accomplishments, and ethics
- personal growth: self-actualization, fulfilling one’s potential and pursuing personal goals; growth, seeking challenges; and maturing as a human being.
Other important attributes and distinctions:
Hedonia is associated with:
- physical and emotional needs
- desire
- what feels good
- taking, for me, now
- ease
- rights
- pleasure
- self-nourishing and self-care; taking care of one’s own needs and desires, typically in the present or near future; reaching personal release and peace, replenishment; energy and joy.
- cognitive values and ideals
- care
- what feels right
- giving, building, something broader, the long-term
- effort
- responsibilities
- elevation
- cultivating; giving of oneself, investing in a larger aspect of the self, a long-term project, or the surrounding word; quality, rightness, context, the welfare of others.
