Human Nature and the Human Good

Contrary to Glaucon’s belief that the best and happiest life is where one is injustice but with the appearance of being just, Aristotle explains that the best life is one where the final good is achieved by living a virtuous life.  Aristotle states that there is something that every man seeks, which he first says is happiness, but because every man’s definition of happiness differs, he later explains that there must be a purpose of life that is peculiar to man.  This purpose he explains is the function of living a good and moral life, and by living with this purpose, man will achieve the ultimate good.  This ideology strongly contradicts Glaucon’s description of the happiest life because he discounts the qualities of virtue, wisdom, and justice.  But Aristotle on the other hand, argues that those who obtain these qualities live the happiest lives.