Plato: How is Happiness Measured? The Three Types of Pleasure

In *The Republic*, Plato examines pleasure in relation to the parts of the soul and types of people, seeking the ideal state.

Plato connects pleasure with the parts of the soul, which correspond to three types of pleasures: learning, anger, and desires (food, drink, erotic pleasures). Accordingly, he distinguishes three types of people: the philosopher (pleasure of learning), the contentious (pleasure of glory), and the money-loving (bodily pleasures).

Plato poses the question of how happiness is measured and who is the happiest. He proposes experience, prudence, and logic as criteria. The philosopher prevails, as he has experience of all three lives and chooses truth.

Dr. Elsa Nicolaidou is the author of the books *The Philosophy of Happiness: Live Better by Reading the Ancient Philosophers* and *Philosophy for All: Why Read the Ancient Philosophers*.