Human Happiness in Plato’s Viewpoint (Evaluation of Alcibiades and Philebus)

Abstract

The issue of death is more tangible in some of Plato’s works such as Apology, Crito and Phaedo. But as far as life is concerned, the purpose of human happiness can be found in itself, a happiness which can be attained by acquiring virtues. What does Plato mean by “virtue” which leads to the human happiness in life? This paper seeks some parts of this answer in Alcibiades and some parts in Philebus. Generally, in Plato’s viewpoint awareness and contemplation on Reality is not separable from life and person’s happiness and consequently the happiness of society is dependent on the level of awareness to virtue and Reality. Human nature has been discussed in Alcibiades and it has been suggested that differences in human is not due to the beings and existence but is in becoming. Human beings are variant in their endeavor to purification and self-knowledge but all of them are seeking happiness, in that respect they are connected to each other spiritually. Philebus is about “Goodness”, “Beauty” and their relation to “Pleasure”. We can come to this conclusion about the Plato’s viewpoint that life is realizing the accommodation between the mundane world and the Ideas which everything is according to the mere Goodness. The life is not being but is becoming.