Happiness

Eudaimonia: not pleasure, but flourishing. The Greeks asked not ‘are you happy?’ but ‘are you living well?’

Eudaimonia is the central concept in Greek ethics. Aristotle defined it as activity of the soul in accordance with virtue. Epicurus said it is the absence of pain. The Stoics said it is living in agreement with nature. Pyrrho said it comes from suspending judgment. Every major Greek school offered a different answer, but they all agreed that happiness is the ultimate goal of human life, and that it requires philosophy to achieve.