ARISTOTLE:

Background:

Aristotle was born at Tagira, a Greek colony of Thrace.At the age of 18, Aristotle went to Athens
and entered the Academy of Plato. Upon the death of Plato, Aristotle was expecting that he
would be the next master of the Academy, but the trustee of the Academy picked a native
Athenian instead, because they saw Aristotle as a foreigner and possibly, because of his
opposition with some of Plato's doctrine. He became a friend of Hermias ruler of the city therein
he met the ruler's niece and adopted daughter Pythias.

Aristotle was invited by King Philip of Macedon to train his son Alexander which later became
known as "Alexander the Great". When Aristotle was 49 years old, he returned to Athens where
he founded his own school called "Lyceum".

Aristotle's Philosophy of the Human Person:

According to Aristotle, a human being is composed of a body and a soul, but unlike was
expecting that he would be the next master of the Academy, but the trustee of the Academy
picked a native Athenian instead, because they saw Aristotle as a foreigner and possibly,
because of his opposition with some of Plato's doctrine. He became a friend of Hermias ruler of
the city therein he met the ruler's niece and adopted daughter Pythias.

Aristotle was invited by King Philip of Macedon to train his son Alexander which later became
known as "Alexander the Great". When Aristotle was 49 years old, he returned to Athens where
he founded his own school called "Lyceum".

Aristotle's Philosophy of the Human Person:

According to Aristotle, a human being is composed of a body and a soul, but unlike Plato,
Aristotle believed that the soul and the body are not separate entities in a human person.
Rather, they are correlative constituents of one being. I

According to Aristotle, the soul forms the entelechy, the definite form of the body. A human
being is composed of a body and soul. Without the body, the soul will not be called a human
person. Consequently, without the soul, the body will not be called a human person as well. But
unlike Plato, Aristotle believed that the soul and the body are not separate entities to a human
person.

The Function of the Human Person:

Although a human person is composed of a body and a soul, he/she however possesses a very
distinguishing attribute; reason. This reason elevates a human person above any other
creatures, because it is this reason that makes a human person resemble the Supreme Reason,
who rules and guides the destinies of individuals and nations and leads all things to their proper
ends. In as much as Aristotle is speaking of the proper end of things, his philosophy is
considered to be teleological. It is the belief of Aristotle that every action of the human person is
aiming toward an end. He distinguished between two types of ends: the instrumental and the
intrinsic end. The instrumental end is that which is done as a means for other ends, while the
intrinsic end is that which is done for its own sake.

Aristotle held that the soul is the form of the body. As such, the soul refers to the totality of the
human person. Because the soul is the capacity for the human person for scientific thought as
well as the understanding of the true nature of things, the real person therefore is his/her soul,
and the fundamental activity of this soul is reason.

Man as a Rational Animal:

Man as a rational animal, hence his end will be the attainment of wisdom. The actions, which
bring one to the realization of this perfection of living according to reason, are called virtues.
Virtue, for Aristotle, is not the end, but the means to attain perfection and consists in a
conscious action fulfilled according to reason. Aristotle distinguishes two types of virtue, namely;
dianoetical and ethical. Dianoetical concerns the perfection of reason in itself and therefore
pertains to such virtues as prudence and wisdom.

In the determination of ethical virtues, Aristotle is in conformity with the whole of Greek
Socratic-Platonic thought in which science or knowledge is virtue, but Aristotle recognizes the
fact that man is not pure reason, that he also has passions: that he is a rational animal. In this,
Aristotle goes far beyond the simple Greek intellectualism of other philosophers. The passion
implies a sentimental, affective element, an organic tendency of our body. At variance with
Plato, Aristotle says that these tendencies should not be considered an evil, and hence should
not be annulled. If they are regulated by reason, they concur in the realization of the form and
perfection which is due to man because of his nature.

A Morally Virtuous Act:

For Aristotle, happiness should not be connected with pleasure. According to him, a life devoted
solely to pleasure is a life fit only for a cattle. He said that pleasure is not the goal of life; nor is
the acquisition of wealth. He also rejected fame and public success as leading to eudaimonia
(happiness), because he believed that the more self-sufficient we are, the happier we are; and
the famous are less self-sufficient than most; they need bodyguards, managers, financial
advisers, etc. Aristotle held that there is greater peace of mind, security, and satisfaction in
knowing that I can provide for my own needs that there is in depending on others. The highest
and fullest happiness, according to Aristotle, comes from a life of reason and contemplation-not
a life of inactivity or imbalance, but a rationally ordered life in which intellectual, physical, and
social needs are all met under the governance of reason and moderation. According to Aristotle,
a reasonable person does not avoid life, rather, he or she engages in it fully.