Maslow and Aristotle

1. What do Aristotle and Maslow say about "the good life"?

2. Can you attain it by buying a product?

3. Should you try to sell a product by implying you should sell it that way?



The good life according to Aristotle can be attained by living in moderation. " A happy person will exhibit a personality appropriately balanced between reasons and desires with moderation characterizing all." True happiness can be achieved through the cultivation of the virtues that make a human life complete.

According to Maslow, the good life can be achieved through self-actualization, the highest level on his hierarchy of needs. Self actualization is the instinctual need of humans to make the most of their abilties and to strive to be the best they can. It is the final stage in his hierarchy of needs which includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of predjudice and accepting of facts.

I do not think you can achieve the good life by buying a product. Actually I think it would be absolutely ridiculous to think that the good life could be achieved through buying a product, such as Nike. I do think that their message is very clever and attention- getting, but I think Nike is using these real life issues as a bribe to sell their products, and I am sure it is working. I found their advertisement effective, yet disturbing because wearing/owning Nike products is not going to make you stronger or less likely to be attacked, etc....

Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen is one of the world's most influential and articulate journalists. He has written around 1300 columns for the Miami Herald. His writings show his great passion for the growth and government in Florida. Hiaasen chronicled "a decade and a half of the issues, struggles, and personalities affecting the development of the state and the welfare of its residents." What seems to tick him off more than anything is hypocrisy and greed. He is very ticked off by Disney. He is a very neutral journalist who goes out aggressively to get a story but does it fairly by not playing favorites or taking sides. I love this saying by him: "You just kick ass. That's what you do. And that's what they pay you to do." His main issue is to dig out the TRUTH. Sincere, passionate, and consistent are three things he desires to deliver in every column he writes. He says that is what newspapers are supposed to do and that is exactly what the Miami Herald does. He tries to get his readers to feel as passionate as he does about Florida in his writing and I think he does a tremendous job of doing that in his writings.