Social values and good living

Abstract

The quest to find meaning in life is an integral part of human existence. Efforts to articulate how this is achievable can be traced back to the 6th-­‐7th B.C.E., when Homer, Aristotle, Cicero and Virgil inquired about the means and goals of human nature. Informed by the social, political and economic transformations of their time, they proposed that bravery, conformity to the laws of the city, hard work, honesty, nobility, reason, and participation in the public affairs were values that encapsulated the good life. Although the relative importance of these values and their meanings have changed since then, their function to date remains tied to the processes of attainment, preservation or enhancement of living.