In the opinion of Plato, the just life is its own reward, and he offers three basic arguments to prove this theory. Plato writes of a conversation between Socrates and Polus in The Gorgias. In this selection Plato utilizes questionable definitions for certain terms such as “happy” being defined as “admirable, or just, and good�

PROVE: The happiest man is one with no badness in his soul.

As one can see, these arguments can be made, however, the definitions used to support the arguments are somewhat fallible due to the limited vocabulary attributed to the words “happy” and “miserable,” which are shown in the above proof. Plato’s strongest argument toward his theory that happiness is obtained through living a just life lies in his second argument. By having a solid example of a real person who has committed unjust acts Plato can manipulate the reader into believing the truth of these definitions.

5.) (from 1,3,&4) If A has always been happy, then A has no badness in his soul.

Happiness is virtuous activity that fulfills our proper function. Such activity is satisfying and brings pleasure, but our ultimate end isn't pleasure; if it were, we'd be no better than beasts. Physical pleasures can tempt us with excesses and lead us away from virtue and just actions. In reading the two different, yet somewhat related arguments of Plato and Aristotle, one can see that happiness, as a life goal, has always been important. Plato, the teacher of Aristotle, spent much of his life as a philosopher trying to prove his theory that a just life is its own reward, while his student spent his time writing of the concept of human flourishing. These concepts were developed in ancient times and have been studied ever since. In this paper I have shown that the two philosophers differ on many points, such as Aristotle’s belief that happiness is man’s life goal, and Plato’s belief that an unjust person cannot engage in happiness. I also have shown that in respect to refuting arguments, Aristotle’s style of clearly defining the terms used for his own wor

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