In connection with present-day discussions of concepts of quality of life a discussion of Plato’s and Aristotle’s ideas and arguments in this field may be helpful for greater systematic clarity. Plato’s teaching in his Politeia seems rather harsh; Aristotle’s theory of ‘eudaimonia’ seems more helpful. The two interpretations of J. Cooper (1975 and 1987) are discussed and the earlier interpretation shown to be preferable.
