Aristotle's "On the Good Life" and Ciulla's "Leisure and Consumption"

Aristotle’s “On the Good Life” and Ciulla’s “Leisure and Consumption”


According to Aristotle’s “On the Good Life” and Ciulla’s “Leisure and Consumption,” acquiring happiness, seeking pleasure and understanding the concept of leisure all tremendously contribute to how our lives should be shaped and are all intimately intertwined.   We can use all of these to obtain the good.   I will be examining these pieces and further comparing and contrasting their various numbers of arguments.   Primarily, Aristotle claims one that has the capability of understanding happiness rules over anything and everything.   Aristotle also thought that Ciulla’s vision of leisure was a necessity for happiness.   There were three projecting types of life, according to Aristotle, which were firstly, life of enjoyment, second, the political life, and third, the contemplative life.   Similarly Ciulla considered three parts to leisure.   The first part was being allowed to do something, second was being allowed to do anything, and third, being allowed to do nothing.   Aristotle also says that men are almost forced to be money makers, and states that “wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else.”(page 77)   In Ciulla’s article, Aristotle says that leisure is necessary for happiness.   We do business or make money so we can have leisure.   This is needed to develop wisdom.   For Ciulla, leisure is the centre of life, just as Aristotle believes happiness is the centre of life.
Aristotle’s three types of life relate to Ciulla’s three types of leisure.   Aristotle three types of life consist of first, life of enjoyment which entails that man is able to experience happiness with pleasure.   Second, the political life depends on individuals whom grant honour instead of those who receive it.   With this, men tend to follow honour purposely to make sure they are noticed for this goodness.   The third is the contemplative life which is more so the...