Love and Happiness

Abstract

It has been commonly agreed by people that happiness is the ultimate end of human life and it is the only thing we pursue for the sake of itself. Yet, the path towards which we could attain real happiness has been under constant dispute. Some philosophers like Aristotle think the answer lies in contemplative activities while others like the stoics believe in the activities in accordance with virtue. This thesis aims to demonstrate that love is the path that could lead us to attain real happiness. By first exploring what love, specifically interpersonal love, is, the thesis will examine a loving stoic and how the stoic ideals of love are incompatible with real love, which involves taking on a shared identity with the beloved ones. Lastly, it will show that through loving selflessly and wholeheartedly, one could eventually attain true happiness.