Eudaimonia

/eu-dai-mo-ni-a/

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(noun)

1. having a good indwelling spirit

2. a life lived well

3. the pleasure and prosperity of human flourishing

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(as interpreted by Holly)

 

According to Aristotelian ethics, eudaimonia is the condition of human flourishing, or of living well, that goes beyond a state of happiness. For Aristotle and his philosopher contemporaries, eudaimonia refered to the highest human good - more than a disposition or the means to an end, eudaimonia is the desired state in and of itself. 

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Aristotle noted that all humans have parts, and those parts possess unique and characteristic functions or purposes that distinguish each human  from all others.  In fact, Aristotle believed that all things (animate or inanimate)  possess these functional and purposeful characteristic parts and in their highest forms these parts promote humans to thrive in their essences. 

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​The highest good of a human, Aristotle thought, is dependent upon the good performance of a human's purpose. Good virtue, then, consists of whatever traits or qualities enable the human (or thing for that matter) to perform that purpose well. In context to the human life experience, eudaimonia could be described as essentially self-actualization.

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​I believe that each and every human possesses innate abilities and distinct qualities that, when illuminated and strengthened,  can support satisfaction and fulfillment in a life well-lived. As a counselor, my aim is to support my clients in realizing their own beneficial characteristics and purposes, so they can bring balance to their hectic modern lives, and build capacity to foster satisfying relationships.