Does the possibility of happiness reside only in the intellectual mind, or in the satisfaction of the body, that is, the effect of the amalgamation of both mind and body, or both?
Where does the greatest happiness lie? In the satisfaction of the body, the mind, or both simultaneously?
I will propose that bodily effects or motivations, such as hunger, thirst, rest and sexual urges can profoundly control the maximum height of a person’s happiness, and therefore overall contentment. This may seem like an obvious statement, but considering this, it may be possible to derive goals or pathways to the maximal level of happiness.
I would assume that the satisfaction of hunger and thirst can be quite readily obtained by most, if not all, members of this forum. In these two cases, I would think that it would be practically impossible to obtain a high level of lasting happiness or contentment without the fulfilment of these primitive, bodily motivations. From a physiological perspective, the lack of nourishment will in the extreme case lead to death, and here we’ll assume that this is an unhappy consequence. In a less extreme case, the ‘gnawing’ effect that we have all felt in the grips of these bodily urges will be sufficient to distract the mind or actually impede its functioning, and it is in the mind or consciousness where a state of happiness or contentment is actually realised, for without the awareness of a sense of contentment or well-feeling, then the state of happiness cannot be obtained.
Disregarding rest, which can be very easily obtained for those who do not suffer any sleeping disorders, perhaps the most relevant bodily motivation for the members of this board is sexual urges. Can those who are sexually satisfied obtain a greater happiness than those who are not? Some may say through self-gratification that this may also be readily satisfied, but I would argue, from my own experience, that the alleviation of sexual urges is obtained to a much greater extent when the alleviation involves another. It is almost as if the sub-conscious realises you are faking it and, as punishment, leaves you with less satisfaction. The search for another who wishes to alleviate their sexual urges with you (i.e. someone who wants to shag you) can often be a much harder task, and therefore, this urge is frequently the hardest to satisfy.
I will propose that, to obtain the maximum amount of happiness or contentment, the body must be satisfied, along with any sort of intellectual contentment which is a faculty of the mind alone (and is a whole other topic). Therefore, if personal happiness is the final end that Aristotle claimed it to be, then surely to obtain the maximum amount of happiness is a sub-function of that end, and therefore, the means of obtaining this end should include not only the road to intellectual contentment, but also bodily contentment. Because sexual satisfaction is often the hardest of these to obtain for the majority of those in developed nations, once the more necessary needs of hunger, thirst and rest are taken care of, the search for a mate should be a priority. The question as to whether this mate should be permanent or temporary and changing, follows from this.
I look forward to your comments.