Eudaimonia Unpacked

You cannot say whether someone achieved eudaimonia until their life is complete — like judging a novel by reading only one chapter. A single bad day does not ruin a flourishing life, and a single good day does not create one.

This long-term view contradicts modern happiness culture, which scores well-being moment by moment. Aristotle would find happiness questionnaires absurd: how you feel right now tells you almost nothing about whether your life as a whole is going well.