Downey now turns to the daunting question of why we act the way we do. Once again, his theory is that we have a disordered mindset.
Downey believes that humans want happiness more than anything in this world, but that we search for it through our erotic and thumotic desires. He went further to discuss how he believes that people confuse happiness with a feeling. The best example he gave was one of a drug addict saying that the feeling that addict gets while getting high might be pleasurable, but it is almost never happiness.
After this, Downey begins pulling from Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics in order to explain where he believes true happiness comes from. Like Aristotle Downey believes that happiness can be found through actions because through actions comes habits and from habits comes character. Virtuous character and using ones logos to define their actions through this character creates a true happiness that goes beyond pleasurable feelings that are only temporary.
Another interesting point that I thought Downey brought up was how our upbringing is what distorts our view of happiness. From childhood we are told to follow the direction of others. So, if we are given praise for a certain action or accomplishment, that is what we will continue to strive for, the pleasure of the acknowledgement. Several problems spawn from this sort of beginning from making the wrong choices, living for other, and living based on emotions and pleasures.
I really agreed with this section of the book. I truly believe that one can find more than happiness from virtuous character, which is joy. Happiness is now completely associated with a pleasurable feeling, but joy (or contentment) is a state of being that one can keep no matter what the temporal situation might be. There are times when the initial pleasure might seem more beneficial, but it comes at the cost of this state of being. Having joy allows one to focus on what they truly want and make the best decisions in life for both themselves and others.
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