Aristotle believed we are happiest when we act ethically. For Aristotle, the human telos is to comprehend the good, and so we will be happiest when we are achieving our telos. Because our ultimate end is to comprehend the good, Aristotle thought we are happiest when we perform right action.

Kant did not think that right action was necessarily rewarded on Earth or that right action was accompanied by happiness in this life. In fact, Kant postulated that there is a heaven because following the moral law does not always seem to benefit us on Earth. Think about your own life in light of these two positions. Do you think you are happiest when you are acting ethically, or do you think morality is sometimes at odds with your well-being? Explain your answer.