The Good Life as a Meaningful Life

The good life as a meaningful life ( the teleological approach)
By Thabang Shaun Dladla

Introduction
The teleological approaches to the meaning of life is one of the prevalent approaches to the meaning of life, it constitutes that the meaning of life can be found in the realization of the purpose of life. The purpose of life can be various things it can be a state of being joyful, an activity or practice or even being someone. Aristotle is one of the authors to this teleological approach to the meaning of life.   According to the Aristotelian approach to the meaning of life it can be understood that the human life aims at a certain good, which will make them to live a flourishing or fulfilled life. Aristotle distinguished between three forms of life in terms of matter and form, when the matter is a plant its form it’s to be vegetative, the animal as a matter its form is sensitive, the human being as a matter the form will be intellectual or virtuous. A Virtue is an acquired human quality, virtues are required for the achievement of a thriving life which is a good life they are the ones that will allow the human being to reach the good life or flourishing life.
For further clarification of the Aristotelian approach to the meaning of life it is essential to understand MacIntyre’s summary and interpretation of the meaningful life as he was the one who wrote a systematic exposition of the meaningful life according to Aristotle as it was not presented in such a manner from Nicomachos the son of Aristotle who is said to have edited his father’s lecture notes. Secondly I will discuss Philip Hallie’s narrative about Magda Trocme who is said to have had great virtues according to Hallie; this is to understand the meaning of life from Hallie’s view in Aristotelian terms. Finally the Aristotelian approach to the meaning of life will be compared with its everyday version, which is the success story where the means to attain a meaningful life are divorced with the ends....