Aristotle (384-322 BC) OUTLINE

ARISTOTLES ETHICS: THE PRIMACY OF REASON I. LIFE AND INFLUENCE Aristotle could be considered as the culmination and, perhaps, the best expression of Classical Greek Culture and Learning. Joined Platos Academy at age 17; and studied at this Academy for 20 years (until Platos death in 347 B.C.) Traveled to Assos and Lesbos (where he collected a wealth of biological data) and to Macedonia (where he taught Alexander the Great.) Returned to Athens in 335 B.C. and established his own school (called the Lyceum). Alexander died in 323 B.C.; Aristotle decided to flee from Athens because of the strong antiMacedonian feelings prevailing at that time. He died a year later at the age of 62. Aristotle left an enormous body of writings which include works in Biology; Logic and Semantics; Physics; Psychology; Metaphysics; Ethics; Politics; Rhetoric; and Poetics. Cataloguers also list under Aristotles name some 158 constitutions of Greek states. II. ARISTOTLES PHILOSOPHY CONSTITUTES A COHERENT WHOLE; A SYSTEM; A WORLD VIEW. III. ARISTOTLES VIEW OF THE WORLD (Metaphysical Doctrines) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Teleology (purposefulness). Order, Lawfulness, Great Chain of Being Potentiality Actuality. Change as increase in order and organization. Everything has its proper Essence. Reason can discover the order in the world. (The Socratic tradition).

IV. ARISTOTLES VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE 1. Aristotles view of the human personality. The two parts of the soul: the rational and the non-rational. Rationality as the essence of the human person. 2. Human Beings, by nature, are neither good nor bad; but they are educable. Habit and training could be used for the development of natural predispositions and capacities. Habit cannot change the nature of a thing. Human beings, by nature, are social beings. 3. Virtues are character traits. Once fully developed and inculcated, the virtues operate as strong predispositions to act in certain ways. 4. How do we measure the moral strength of a persons character? Is the strength of persons moral character directly proportional to the strength of the evil inclinations and temptations that this person successfully resists in order to do the morally right thing?

Successful acquisition of the right habits renders doing the right thing almost automatic. Paradox: by becoming perfectly moral you cease to be moral! V. EUDAEMONIA (well being or happiness). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The distinction between a theory of value (what sorts of things are deemed good, desirable, or sought after?) and a theory of moral obligation (what are we morally obligated to do or refrain from doing, and why?). Aristotle: "Every action aims at some good". The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic good. According to Aristotle not all goods can be extrinsic; there has to be at least one sort of thing which is intrinsically good. The ultimate good (or end) for human beings is happiness. Joint or collaborative human activities also aim at some goods. Aristotles notion of a profession or practice. Aristotles distinction between goods that are external to the profession and goods that are internal to it. Healing and alleviation of pain that a physician may be able to bring about are goods that are internal to the practice of Medicine. However, wealth or fame are goods that are external to the practice of Medicine because they could be attained by practicing other professions or performing other activities. Emphasis on pleasure and happiness does not necessarily lead to hedonism. Pleasure accompanies virtuous activity. On virtue and pleasure: does it pay to be virtuous? Aristotle: By becoming virtuous you become the sort of person who is likely to be happy. Question: What if the unjust flourish?!

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VI. THE PRIMACY OF REASON. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The importance of the assumption that rationality is unique to human beings. Reason should control feelings and emotions. Example: Fear (an emotion) when properly controlled by reason results in courage (a virtue). When fear is uncontrolled by reason, the result is a vice: rashness or cowardice. The doctrine of the Mean: Excess and deficiency are both irrational (hence, both are vices). A virtue is a mean falling between two extremes. How do we determine (locate) the mean? Aristotles contextualism: The determination of the mean in specific cases is left to "perception". Aristotelian Ethics as an Ethics of Virtue.

VII. ON BEING FULLY HUMAN. 1. 2. 3. 4. Implications of the principle of the subordination of the non-rational to the rational. Degrees of rationality and hence of humanity! The issue of slavery. The subordination of women. The connection between leisure time and creativity.

VIII. SELF REALIZATION. 1. 2. 3. Aristotelian Ethics as an Ethics of Self-Realization. The Aristotelian Principle: Greater value and satisfaction are achieved by realizing more complex potentials. If you have the potential to excel at playing chess, is it wrong to play only checkers? Who determines what my true potential is? THE CULT OF REASON

IX. CONCLUDING QUESTION: Can we avoid the moral anarchy of the Sophists without endorsing Platos dictatorship of the Wise?