What are pleasures? (Book 7;11-14)

            In chapters 11-14 of book 7, Aristotle talks about some important aspects of pleasure. He first addresses some common questions about pleasure. He then talks about whether pleasure can be classified as a good and what category it falls under if it is not a good. Later, Aristotle talks about the relationship between pleasure and happiness. Finally, Aristotle ends book 7 by discussing bodily pleasures.

            According to Aristotle, there are three popular views of pleasure. First, is that no pleasure is a good. Second, is that some pleasures may be good but most are bad. Last, is that even if every pleasure is a good; the best good cannot be pleasure. This is obviously true because Aristotle has already established that happiness is the highest good. As for pleasure, Aristotle does not believe it can be considered a good because it “is a perceived becoming toward [the fulfillment of something’s] nature.” He adds that pleasure does not have a certain craft. To help us understand this concept, Aristotle uses an example of a house. The process of building a house is considered the craft of the final complete house. Therefore, since every good must have a craft, pleasure cannot be considered a good because it lacks a craft.

            In chapter 12, Aristotle takes our understanding of pleasure a bit further. Previously, Aristotle had claimed that pleasure was a “perceived becoming.” Now he claims that “pleasures are not becomings, nor do they all even involve a becoming. They are activities, and an end [in themselves]…” Aristotle insists that becomings are different from activities but I failed to comprehend this and I welcome anyone to help me understand the difference between the two. However, one thing I did understand was Aristotle’s comments on how some pleasures are ends of themselves. For example, when a person wins the lottery, the pleasure they feel has no other goal or aim than just itself. For this reason we cannot classify all pleasures as just activities.

            In chapter 13, Aristotle discusses the similarities between pleasure and happiness. He makes an argument for how pleasure can be considered a good. He says it makes sense for people to associate pleasure with happiness because they assume the “happy life” is pleasant. He later adds that pleasure might in fact be the best good for why else would humans and beasts pursue it. This does make sense because people commit actions every day in the hope of it bringing them happiness or pleasure. If pleasure is not a good, we cannot associate it with happiness, which is a good. And if there is no pleasure in happiness, what’s the point of being happy?

            Bodily pleasures are another one of Aristotle’s interesting concepts. He explains why people pursue them. He states, “some pleasures are the actions of a base nature…or base because of habit, such as the actions of base human beings.” For instance, the bodily pleasure we feel when we eat is part of our nature. According to Aristotle, another way humans feel unintentional bodily pleasures are when they are recovering from an injury or an illness. An example, of this would be the bodily pleasures that people feel when they are recovering in a hospital. According to Aristotle, those who cannot enjoy these two types of natural bodily pleasures feel the need to pursue other types of bodily pleasures that might satisfy whatever desires they may have.