Book 1 / Chapter 9
Paragraph 4 - Happiness and Capability in Life's Vicissitudes
Explanation - Part By Part
"It is natural, then, that we call neither ox nor horse nor any other of the animals happy; for none of them is capable of sharing in such activity."
Aristotle is explaining why we don’t call animals, like an ox or a horse, "happy" in the same way we speak of human happiness. This is because animals lack the ability to participate in the kind of virtuous and rational activities that define true happiness for humans. Happiness, as Aristotle defines it, isn’t just about pleasure or survival; it requires the conscious practice of virtue and rationality, which animals are not capable of exercising.
"For this reason also a boy is not happy; for he is not yet capable of such acts, owing to his age; and boys who are called happy are being congratulated by reason of the hopes we have for them."
Aristotle is explaining that a child, or "boy" in his example, cannot truly be considered happy because happiness, as he defines it, involves engaging in virtuous activity through deliberate and mature actions. A child lacks the maturity and life experience needed to consistently practice virtue. When people call a child "happy," it’s not because the child has achieved true happiness in the Aristotelian sense, but rather because of the potential they see in the child—there is hope that as they grow, they will develop into a virtuous and accomplished person. Essentially, the happiness attributed to children is based on the promise of their future, not their present state.
"For there is required, as we said, not only complete virtue but also a complete life, since many changes occur in life, and all manner of chances."
Aristotle is emphasizing here that true happiness, or "eudaimonia," isn't achieved simply by possessing virtue or moral excellence. To be truly happy, a person must also live a complete and fulfilling life over time. Life is unpredictable, filled with changes and unexpected events—both good and bad—so a single moment of virtue doesn't define lasting happiness. Instead, happiness requires sustained virtue and a full life where circumstances, choices, and outcomes all align over time. Happiness isn't just a fleeting emotion or a temporary state; it’s something developed and realized over the course of a person's entire existence.
"The most prosperous may fall into great misfortunes in old age, as is told of Priam in the Trojan Cycle; and one who has experienced such chances and has ended wretchedly no one calls happy."
Aristotle is making a critical point about happiness in this part. He argues that true happiness (often translated as "eudaimonia" or flourishing) cannot simply be judged by fleeting or temporary states of prosperity or success. It's not just about having good fortune at specific times in life. Rather, happiness requires stability and a "complete life" lived virtuously.
He uses Priam, the king of Troy in Greek mythology, as an example. Priam was once a wealthy and powerful king, but by the end of his life—during the Trojan War—he suffered immense loss and misfortune, including the fall of his city and the death of his children. Aristotle is saying that no one would look at Priam's life as a whole and call it happy, despite his earlier prosperity.
This underscores the idea that happiness isn't something you can assess until the full scope of a person's life has played out. A life that ends in complete ruin, no matter how good it seemed at one point, cannot truly be considered "happy" in the sense Aristotle is discussing.