...because a lot of the discussion at the school took place while walking the grounds (“Encarta: Aristotle”). He taught the young conqueror Alexander, who became Alexander the Great, and thereafter his writings were lost and not recovered until the 1st century B.C. During the middle ages they were translated into Latin and Arabic and became a basis for Christian theology. In 2000 years no one has came close to his brilliance except for Leonardo Da Vinci (Cunningham, Lawrence and Reich p.81). Aristotle is most famous for his detailed work about the physical world and nature, in which, a lot of his findings are used in modern day biology (“Aristotle: Philosopher”). He is most famous for his view on ethics. For his son, Nicomachus he named his book on ethics the Nicomachean Ethics (“Encarta: Aristotle”)....
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...As shown in the Aristotle’s book Nicomachean Ethics describes, moral virtue is “a mean of two vices, the one involving excess, and the other deficiency”. To be precise, some examples are discussed below. For example, courage is a mean of fearness and rashness. Justice is a mean of an extreme distribution and too equal distribution. Goodness is a mean of helping all the people and don’t help anyone. In general, to pursue moral virtue is like pursue an intermediate state which is a “golden mean” of the two vices. Then we can talk about why it seems like a sort of “training regimen” for happiness. If we recall the definition of happiness in Nicomachean Ethics, “happiness turns out to be an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue”. It actually provides a link between happiness and virtue. To be precise at this point, happiness is not pleasure or virtue, but the exercise of virtue. Moreover, happiness depends on the acquiring of moral virtue, which, as described above, a process of achieving the golden mean of the excess and deficiency, the balance between the two vices. Therefore, if we want to acquire happiness, we need to practice ourselves in balancing things and inclining sometimes excess and sometimes deficiency. As Aristotle mentioned in Nicomachean Ethics, “this is no doubt difficult”. It is just like “training regimen” for happiness, if we imagine a virtuous character as a healthy body. As the goal of doctor is to produce a balance of one’s body by appropriate training...
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...Political Science 201 November 12, 2013 Anna Umstead Plato and Aristotle, arguably two of the most influential Greek philosophers, discussed their differing views on virtue extensively throughout many of their works. Although they agree that virtue is a desirable characteristic that will lead to happiness, the ultimate good, there exists between the two philosophies salient differences. While Plato believes only philosophers are capable of true, inherent virtue, Aristotle believes all men can be virtuous with practice and dedication. GREAT. WAY TO GET TO THE POINT. BE SURE TO MENTION WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE ARGUING THAT VIRTUE IS INTRINSICALLY GOOD. HAVE IT SMACK ME IN THE FACE IT'S SO OBVIOIUS. (LIKE THAT TYPO). Plato’s Republic contains one of the greatest recorded discussions on the nature of justice. His definition of justice can be interpreted today as virtue, or the proper working of the soul. Plato argues in this work that virtue is inherently good only when it is manifest in the perfectly ordered soul of the philosopher. This philosopher is born just and inherently good, thereby making him the only individual capable of loving and seeking after virtue completely. …..... I'M GUESSING THIS ATTACHES TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH? AND I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT “BORN JUST”. REMEMBER, IT ISN'T “INBORN” BUT IT IS NATURAL. YOU AREN'T BORN THAT WAY. YOU TEND TOWARDS IT, THOUGH. Only through virtue, or justice as he calls it, can a man receive happiness, and this hints at the inherent...
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...ARISTOTLE'S EUDAIMONIA Eudaimonia stands for happiness in Greek. Aristotle argues that the highest good for human beings is happiness. He insists that every action performed by humans is to pursue happiness. Aristotle also argues that human action is always aimed at some end or good. This "good" may not be viewed as a good action or any good by others, but for the doer of the action ("good"), the activity will be perceived as good and that it will bring a favorable outcome. Aristotle also said that all of our actions resulting in ends or goods form a hierarchy. This hierarchy, incorporates a ladder of things, and this ladder would categorize things according to their importance. And the most important thing would be on top of the ladder, thus being the ultimate end. This ultimate end is what all the actions aim to reach at or achieve. [This end must be self-sufficient, it must be attainable and it must be what we want]1. Therefore, because happiness includes all these, then it must be the highest good. An example of this ladder could be a person working hard to lose weight or trying to stay in shape. The bottom step of the ladder is the person working out in a gym, but why is the person working out? To lose weight or maintain their shape. Why does the person want to lose weight or maintain their shape? To look good physically and to be healthy. Why does the person want to look good or be healthy? To be attractive and to lead a stress-less and a comfortable life. And why does...
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...6/20/16 Business Ethics Written Assignment #1 Aristotle’s work is some of the most influential works of all time. He left behind lecture notes and writings that cover many subjects some of which include physics, metaphysics, politics, rhetoric and ethics. His thought in politics and ethics is still widely influenced and used today. Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher born about 2400 years ago. Aristotle moved to Athens after the death of both his parents to study at Plato’s Academy. He quickly became one of the most outstanding students at the Academy. Aristotle moved to different locations after the death of Plato and remained in Chalcis where he owned his estate until his death in November 322. Aristotle had five main points of his ethical philosophy happiness, virtuous life, moral virtue, moral responsibility for his actions, and moral action in a social environment. I’m going to summarize and focus on two of the five main points, happiness and virtuous life. According to Aristotle, there is no true and same definition of happiness. The man will define happiness and it will depend on what they feel is happiness. The act that caused happiness and the time that happiness occurs. “The highest good and the end toward which all human activity is directed is happiness, which can be defined as continuous contemplation of eternal and universal truth.” Happiness varies with the type of individual, some individuals find happiness in sensual pleasures, others...
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...happiness?’ was Aristotle, who, in a manner typical of philosophers, before providing an answer insisted on making a distinction between two different questions. His first question was what was meant by the word ‘happiness’—or rather, its ancient Greek equivalent eudaimonia. His second question was where happiness was to be found, that is to say, what is it that makes us truly happy? Reasonably enough he thought that it was futile to try to answer the second question without having given thought to the first. The definition that he offers is that happiness is the supreme good that supplies the purpose, and measures the value, of all human activity and striving. “[E]verything else that any of us do” he wrote ”we do for its sake” (Nicomechean Ethics 27). This seems a very sweeping statement: surely it is implausible to suggest that every human action is explicitly aimed at some single...
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...Name Tutor Course Date Nicomachean ethics This is a book by Aristotle and is often regarded as the best work on ethics. In this book, Aristotle focuses on the different types of friendship, how the friendships form, and how long they last depending on the reasons for the friendship. This paper will focus on the types of friendship as advanced by Aristotle, illustrate what he meant by saying friendship based on virtue and my views towards this subject. Aristotle differentiates between three types of friendship. First, he singles out mutual, recognized love among people with respect for one another. Their friendship is for mutual benefit. They love each other for the good they get from each other. These kinds of friends wish each other well in respect of the love they have for one another. The second class of friends according to Aristotle is those who love for pleasure. They do not get into friendship because they admire each other’s character but because they derive pleasure from one another. In this type of friendship, one looks at the pleasure that is derivable from the friend. The friendship continues as long as there is pleasure derived. For this reason, this type of friendship is only incidental. The friendship dissolves away easily in case one friend ceases to get the pleasure previously derived or if one of the friends changes in character. If one party ceases to be pleasant and useful, the other party withdraws from the friendship. Aristotle argues that...
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...Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Does God exist? If so, why is there evil? Like St. Augustine, I do acknowledge that ``God exists”. In order to explain his ideology, Augustine refers to the life of a tree, rock, dog and human beings. He argues that among the things aforementioned, only human being posses the ability to think and act thus meaning that among the creations on earth, the human being is the intelligent creature. Further, he expounds his argument by stating that if another being is intelligently superior to human beings, then it has to be God. However, St. Augustine acknowledges the presence of evil. St. Augustine’s opinion of sin is linked to the freedom to exercise ``freewill” by individuals an aspect that results to ``moral evil”. Free will forms the basis by Augustine that God should not be blamed for ``the existence” of sin. To expound on his argument, Augustine informs his readers that he like many other people has been subject to sin due to his desire to realize what sin entails and urges the people not to dwell so much on sin rather than the existence of God(pg,164). In conclusion, I support Augustine’s argument that no one can understand the thinking of God thus we should focus on his goodness rather than sin existence. Are Human Beings Selfish? I believe that every ``human being” is selfish. The selfish nature of human beings is evident from the daily activities that we engage in during our lifetime and routines. In the current society, it is common...
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...Was Socrates the first coach? The ancient Greek philosophers and coaching Flourishing life (eudaimonia) Excellence (aristia) –Prudence (phronesis) – Morals (ethos) This original article (a shorter one) written by Barbara Asimakopoulou was first published in International Coaching Federation’s blog The ancient Greek philosophers, motivated by their love of knowledge (the actual word “philosopher” derives from the Greek words “filos” and “Sophia” which mean “friend” and “wisdom” respectively) have been preoccupied with the investigation of the reasons for human existence and the way men should live, so as to be consistent with their reason for being. Their views widely appealed to the western world and formed the foundation for western philosophy and psychology, influencing the philosophers who followed, from the oldest to the most contemporary ones and inspiring passionate support but not without also being questioned. Today, most of their views seem to have lost nothing of their lustre and stand out like shining beacons, especially now that the western world is desperately seeking answers in order to relight its fires!!! In the text below, I refer to Aristotle and Socrates, the principles and practices they bequeathed us, so as to prove that these have a lot in common with the principles and practices of coaching. In addition, I will attempt to prove that Socrates is the first ever coach!!! Aristotle, a student of Socrates and Plato, the most important philosopher...
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...From seeking enjoyment to avoiding grief, most people's goal in life is about achieving happiness. However, how to define and obtain happiness in one's life and also living it virtuous can be challenging. When we consider the questions of how we should live our lives, we often seek for some method or schematic that we can apply to help us classify our actions and qualities as good, bad, or indifferent. Such a means of methodology would surely make it easier to determine what the right thing to do is. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle formulates a concept in which we can integrate into our lives to measure and characterize our actions and choices. This concept is called the Doctrine of the Mean and according to Aristotle if we utilize his...
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... What separates a life of pleasures from a life of happiness? This question is in my opinion the core question in understanding the good life. For this essay I will define pleasure as the temporary state of enjoyment, often achieved through the satisfaction of physical desires. Happiness on the other hand shall be defined as a permanent state of satisfaction that is capable of enduring through periods in which physical satisfaction is absent. This essay will examine the works The History by Herodotus and Happiness by Taylor. This essay will argue that in order to achieve happiness one must be willing to put aside the pursuit of pleasures. Many people equate the search for happiness with the pursuit of happiness. In their pursuit of pleasure they attempt to amass wealth and live in the moment. This comparison of the pursuits is a misinterpretation of what it happiness is. These people mistakenly believe that they can achieve the satisfaction of happiness through indulgence, but as Taylor say, “If, to pursue the comparison once more, there was a race of people who exalted food without limit, indulged in gluttony, and envied corpulence as the mark of success in this pursuit, then we would say with certainty that theirs was a false and in fact disgusting ideal; nor would we change our judgment of them even if they declared with one voice that this was their happiness (114).” This quote clearly differentiates between pleasures and happiness. Even within a society that values gluttony...
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...“Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has been rightly declared to be that at which all things aim.” Every human person, from the creation of man to the present day, whether knowingly or unknowingly, has been seeking one thing, one idea, one goal: happiness. From his earliest years, a human being’s natural inclination is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. The idea of happiness is a parallel to the idea of an ultimate good, mankind’s highest aim and is defined as a life of excellent function of of the rational faculties. Every man is striving for the good by means of the result of his actions, which are done for a purpose with an end in view. Everyone has goals. Getting a promotion, finishing a book, or cooking a new dish are all examples of goals, with a series of steps or actions involved to accomplish them. However, these small goals, in a different light, can be seen not as goals, but as actions which are all directed toward one higher, ultimate good. Goals build upon the other, creating a pyramid with universal good as the crown. It is not individual actions, but the goals of those actions that create a hierarchy with the good, or true happiness, on top of the pyramid. Aristotle’s use of the word happiness, however, differs from the English use. His Greek word, eudaimonia, means “living well and faring well.” Instead of happiness as a state of mind, Aristotle uses it to convey an...
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...Aristotle also affirms the idea that every act is aimed at achieving some form of good, the good then becoming the greater purpose behind every formal cause. His two affirmations are as follows; there is ethical significance in action and all actions aim at the good. However, as readers we are met with the same problem, as when reviewing Socrates Moral Intellectualism in that, we do not have a universally accepted definition of the good, leaving it vulnerable to subjective interpretation. With this ambiguity, regardless of if every action has the same goal, different paths and different outcomes will be strived for in order to reach this highest good. I do believe that all actions whether done for satisfaction in the present or for future gains are used to better the suffering condition humans find themselves in. However, these may also be limited to actions that require deliberation or an active assessment, judgement and choice. Some subconscious or habitual habits do not serve us any good but are nonetheless actions we take part in just from memory or routine. These actions are simply done due to familiarity. Perhaps these are actions done in and of themselves for meanings other than happiness. Happiness (Eudaimonia) as we understand it is a construct that is socially and culturally defined. Furthermore, individualistic views of happiness must be accounted for as well. The term ‘good’ itself has become so broad, we refer to material commodities as ‘goods’ highlighting the idea...
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...Throughout his life, Aristotle paid particularly close attention to the notion of happiness. In Aristotle’s opinion, happiness is achieved by obtaining the highest good by living a good life. However, living a good life in accordance with Aristotle’s views can be difficult. He believes that in order to live a good life, one must constantly seek to fulfill the bodily needs. To do so, one must live with moral and intellectual virtues at all times. Aristotle believed that living with moral and intellectual virtues is accomplished by developing a keen sense of rationality. He says that rational judgment is the result of living within the appropriate mean of two extremes. There are several examples he gives to illustrate this conception. One example he provides is the appropriate mean between acting bravely and acting cowardly. He proceeds to explain that if he was to act overly brave then when he was in battle he would act overzealously and cause himself harm. However, if he was to act without enough aggression then he would appear cowardly. Aristotle explains that it is reasonable to be confused with this explanation. He further explains that it is not finding the exact mean between two extremes that one must endeavor, but to assess each situation individually. He says that with each situation that arises, one must analyze it and determine to what degree of one extreme or another one must respond with. Each person, he believes, will react differently and no situation will be exactly...
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...Criteria for Happiness This article entitled “Criteria for Happiness in Nicomachean Ethics and X 6-8 “ , it foundation is based on Aristotle’s’ criteria for what is to count as human happiness. According to Aristotle happiness for a man is self-sufficient, complete without qualification, peculiar to humans, excellent and best and most complete. The ethical issues that are present in this article is the comparison between the I 7 and the X 6-8 . I 7 criteria implies that there is only one activity which is happiness and one happy life whereas X 8-6 there are two happy lives and therefore two activities which meet the criteria of happiness. The ethical alternatives include where Aristotle retains the CA version of the peculiarity criterion while changing his view of human nature , which means that when a person is his or he nous then contemplation exercises the only human ability. Another alternative is that self sufficiency does mean ‘ that which is sufficient for a man by himself’ According to Aristotle he ignores the distinction between goods of lowest completeness and goods of intermediate completeness because this distinction is considered irrelevant to hispresent purpose. Under completeness moral action is also said to be a intermediate completeness. An alternative to contemplation is happiness and is an unwelcome conclusion for an inclusivist. Aristotle abandons the I 7 peculiarity and he denies that contemplation is peculiar to humans when he observes that God contemplates...
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