Aristotle believed the contemplative life is better than the life of public service. The contemplative life he refers to is one where an individual spends the majority of their time doing higher level thinking. A life of public service consists of every job that directly serves the community, and in some cases are done out of the goodness of one’s heart. I argue that Aristotle was wrong in his ideology because public service directly affects the lives of many people, and that is better than spending your days thinking. Also it unites us together because people are able to conduct social interactions which is an important human quality. One who may agree with Aristotle might do so because thinking can be seen as God-like, but in response, humans aren’t capable of imitating God’s divine intellect. Moreover, a true good life would be one where someone’s main occupation is one of public service, and then take time to contemplate in their leisure time. 

The reason Aristotle embraced the contemplative life so much is because that’s what God does, so we should also. He believed that God is the reason that the entire world is how it is today. God is a being within the world that we live in and is the highest power. Having so much power and almightiness, God is thought to be spending most of his time thinking. Since he’s God his thinking is true due to him already knowing all the answers to the world. We as humans should live our lives in an image of God, so the best life to live would be one where all we do is think as God does. Aristotle believes being able to reason and contemplate is what sets us apart from animals. Humans reign above animals because of our capability to effectively use our powerful minds. Animals aren’t able to fully evaluate situations in life, rather they rely on instinctive tendencies. Also a benefit to the contemplative life is that we are able to conduct it anywhere in the world, the only tool needed is a mind. Occupations of public service have many more deciding factors such as availability of manpower and tools. The reason that public service isn’t seen as a good life by Aristotle, is due to the physical labors often exercised that isn’t considered a God-like action. These aren’t considered God-like because almighty beings have never been described as labor performers. People that wake up early and work outside in the sun all day are perceived as living a hard life. Yes you get paid for your service, but Aristotle says “the life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else”( Nicomachean Book I). This basically means being able to work a job for money isn’t causing happiness, instead what people can do with that money is. He also acknowledges that everyone isn’t cut out to live a contemplative lifestyle, so it is incumbent that public service jobs are filled. Those who were slaves or uneducated have no purpose in living a contemplative life.

Aristotle is wrong in his beliefs because helping people is part of humanity and makes us who we are. It can almost be considered selfish to pass an entire lifetime only reasoning and not helping others within your own community. The social interactions while working with other people for a common goal is more powerful than spending your time in solitary thinking. Being able to learn about other people and their ideals would ultimately strengthen your own mind. The whole experience aspect of public service is a valuable take away. Teamwork and leadership traits are a few of the many powerful attributes one can possess. Public service isn’t subjective to only a couple occupations, it is everything that is needed for a city-state to flourish. A person may gain more satisfaction contributing to a bigger cause that positively affects the lives of many other people. In some cases, the feeling of satisfaction is more rewarding then doing things for ourselves. Without public services, contemplative thinking wouldn’t even be possible due to those individuals worrying about all the tasks public service individuals perform. For example, without a farmer harvesting crops and selling them on the market, a contemplative thinker would have to spend their time growing food or raising livestock. Or without a military and police force, a contemplative thinker would be too busy trying to defend their property. Moreover, public services are needed to make the everyday lives of thinkers possible along with everyone else living within the state. Also, it is pointless to attempt to imitate God’s thinking because we will never be able to obtain his level of intellect. The human mind is not able to comprehend the truth’s God can. If Aristotle acknowledges God as the highest power, he should then be aware that it is impossible to be in his likeness. Considering God to be the reason the world goes around, it is just to say public service workers are the reason city states goes around. 

It is reasonable to believe that a person truly living a good life is capable of both performing public services and living a contemplative life. A prime example of this is the life of an educator at any level. A teacher or professor is considered an occupation of public service because they are educating the community so one day those individuals can go out and be productive. Simultaneously as they are teaching, they also have to master the disciplines and further their own knowledge. Without this important public service, there would be a dramatic decrease in the number of people who even have the intellect to live a contemplative life. Therefore after all, educators are an exception to Aristotle’s belief that there is only one best life in being a contemplator. The main purpose of public service is to meet the daily demands of a city-state. If there weren’t a group of people serving the public, then there wouldn’t really be any unity. A main point we may consider in responding to Aristotle’s ideas are, what if God doesn’t even exist? If there isn’t a real God, then what is the point of trying to mimic God’s contemplative thinking. Another question to contemplate is, why believe God thinks? God being the responsible of all things, technically he would be omniscient. Thinking would be a pointless activity because God is the creator of life, and there are no questions that he doesn’t have the answer to. Aristotle would be wrong to contemplate like God when God already knows everything and has to need for contemplation. In counter argument, a reason to agree with Aristotle’s beliefs is, a contemplative life is less strenuous. There aren’t opportunities to get injured or overwork yourself which is a good life. But in my defense, these risks are worth the rewards.

In conclusion, I disagree with Aristotle’s idea of living a contemplative life is better than living a life of public service. I strongly believe that people who work for the sake of the state have a higher level of satisfaction in life. The experiences they gain while working with their neighbors and the goals they ultimately accomplish result in a better life. Thinking like God isn’t necessarily a bad action, but it shouldn’t take up the majority of someone’s time. There isn’t much productivity in only sitting around reasoning. A true good life would be represented by an individual who values public service as their main occupations and spends their extra time contemplating.