In the Nicomeachean Ethics, Aristotle attempts to define happiness, which brings up many other questions that lead to the ultimate question: what is the meaning of life? Although all of Aristotle's ideas are interesting and important, I will only mention those relevant to the analysis of character. Similar to flow; optimal experience, Aristotle draws a fine line between activities or goals that are means, ends, or both means and ends, arguing that the ultimate end is that which is the means is an end in itself. Furthermore, Aristotle evaluates pleasure and concludes that pleasures themselves are activities. There are different types of pleasures, but for the purposes of this article, only two pleasures are worth mentioning: conditional and unconditional. A conditioned pleasure is a sensory pleasure, which means it is something that appeases our senses. These can be activities such as sex, eating a steak, or enjoying a refreshing alcoholic beverage. While all of these pleasures may be enjoyable, they are only enjoyable for a limited time, which means that they are pleasures that are enjoyed only to a certain extent. I couldn't smoke multiple cigarettes in one day, but I often enjoy a cigarette after a meal. An unconditional pleasure is one that can be consumed or exercised repeatedly without losing the sense of enjoyment. This type of pleasure includes activities in which pain also coincides with the act. For the die-hard runner, the marathon can serve as an unconditional pleasure (Aristotle, 1999). Next, I will explain another concept proposed by Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. In the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus covers an existentialist perspective of the meaning of life and states that the absurd; the inability…half the paper…spent most of it trying to survive. In comparison, someone like Mr. Hosokawa can continue to accumulate reserves for the necessities of life, while the servile person can barely make ends meet. Therefore, in the case of Carmen, who chooses to study in her free time, Aristotle would consider her act worthy of merit. However, he currently has the necessary resources and chooses to dedicate his free time to acquiring knowledge for its own sake. Works Cited Aristotle. (1999). Nicomachean Ethics (2nd ed.). (T. Irwin, trans.) Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Camus, A. (1955). The myth of Sisyphus. New York: Vintage Books. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: HarperCollins. Epictetus. (1991). Enchiridion. Amherst: Prometheus Books.Patchett, A. (2001). Beautiful song. HarperCollins.