Tag Archives: good life

A virtuous life

How does one lead a life of virtue, or what Seligman calls the “good life”?

Positive psychologists distinguish between six virtues. These are wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. The virtuous person, then, must be wise; courageous; humane; just; temperate; and/or transcendent.

What does each of the six virtues consist of? Each virtue is further divided into 24 character strengths. Being virtuous thus means having a strong character.

Building strength of character–while requisite for cultivating virtue–may be more diverse and nuanced!

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Good and pleasant lives

Seligman equated the good life with the life of virtue. The pleasant life is happy in the normal, “Hollywood” sense.

How do the good, pleasant, and meaningful lives lead to ultimate well-being?

Positive psychology recognizes the PERMA model of well-being. PERMA is broken down into positive emotion (P), engagement (E), relationships (R), meaning (M), and achievement (A).

The pleasant life consists in a lot of positive emotion, P. Where does this leave the good life of virtue?