The Good Life

Aristotle
The good life for humans is a virtuous life lived in according with reason. 
Aristotle's 3-level model of the soul of living things:
 1) Vegetative – plants have the kind of soul defined just by growth, that they grow just by ingesting   nutrients.
 2) Appetitive – animal souls have a vegetative part, but they also desire things and move toward things they want.
 3) Rational – the human soul has a vegetative and appetitive part.  The rational part guides and steers the other parts of the soul – its what distinguishes people from plants and animals.

Confucius
Confucius was not opposed to reason, however in his philosophy of the ‘Good Life’ virtuous human beings are relational beings.  He thought that it wasn’t possible to be a human being until one is participating in a relationship with others in just the right way – a virtuous way – in harmony with each particular social role (ruler/subject, husband/wife, parent/child, etc).

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