Aristotle on the good Life
- Recapitulating: the "character" of Aristotle's philosophy
- common sense
- organic models
- reality (actuality) is activity
- Aristotle's ethics is built on the foundation of his psychology. In the well-ordered personalty the parts of will function harmoniously under the leadership of the rational element.
- the goal we all seek: happiness (
EUDAIMONIA, "well-being" or "satisfaction")
EUDAIMONIA is a life of rational activity, informed with ARETE, pursued continually
- Our ability to achieve
EUDAIMONIA depends upon our having (some) power & access to resources in the world. The powerless never actualize their (moral) potential.
- The moral virtues (the virtues of character) lie in a mean between extremes. (These are relative to our individual characters. The timid need to learn to take risks; the reckless must learn the value of security, etc.) For Aristotle, moderation (
SOPHROSYNE is a central virtue.
- Action is voluntary. Aristotle disagrees with Socrates' assumption that the entire problem of etics is understanding.
- Action stems from character and from habit. In the development of habits we require good families (Aristotle rejects Plato's attack on the family) and (even more importantly) good friends. Friendship is necessary to
EUDAIMONIA; it is an extension of self-esteem.
- From Ethics to Politics.
- Since the good life (
EUDAIMONIA) requires power, ethics is built upon a base of politics
- without (some) wealth and security the individual cannot realize (actualize) his/her potential
- politics therefore includes economics: wealth, its origins, its kinds (use-value, exchange-value, and the hybrid money)
- Aristotle on the best
POLIS: a vigorous city with broad popular support and a strong "middle class"
- Aristotle, like Plato, finds justice to be a "distibutive" concept
Revised November 10, 1996
Index to Study Guides to Aristotle
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