Plato s The Nicomachean Ethics - 2113 Words

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle presents the reader with a guide to living a good life. He claims the â€Å"highest good† is happiness, and the way to obtain it is through the use of reason. In order to better comprehend Aristotle’s ideas regarding happiness, we will explain his conception of eudaimonia and excellence through rational activity. Then, we will examine this concept of rational activity in relation to the aristotelian concept of self-sufficiency. At the end of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle offers a seemingly divergent point of view. However, we will argue that these final reflections on happiness describe the best way to experience a good life. All individuals are in search of some good. Every one of our actions, skills and choices has an aim, and this aim is defined as the â€Å"good† of that particular activity (1094a1-3). While these activities are distinct, some may be classed into broader faculties. For example, ethics, metaphysics, aesthetics, logic and epistemology are all activities that fall under the more general faculty of philosophy. As a result, the individual ends of the former all work towards the superior good of the latter. (1094a9-16). However, such ends are incomplete - they are not pursued for their own sake, but for the sake of another superior goal. As we examine the categorization of activity, is important to distinguish between instrumental value and intrinsic value. An action or skill with instrumental value is not pursued for its ownShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Plato s Republic And Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics Essay2075 Words   |  9 Pageseach phase, as the yellow brick road, leading up to reflection. Only then, true discoveries of thyself can be uncovered. Leisure, sport, and recreation provide the opportunity for growth of mind and body. Both Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics conceptualize this growth through games and sport. What is meant by â€Å"growth?† What is development in relation to the self? Once sufficiently developed, leisure, sport, recreation become agents for one to experience thyself in relation to othersRead MoreAnalysis Of Aristotle s The Golden Mean 1109 Words   |  5 PagesBC, and was a student of Plato, as well as founded/ taught at several academies. He wrote on diverse subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, logic, politics, government, and ethics. He contributed to almost every field of human knowledge in existence during his time, and he was the founder of many new fields. Aristotle was one of the most influential of the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle s theory of the Golden Mean was found in his work, Nicomachean Ethics. This theory has also beenRead MoreAristotles Impact on Current Society812 Words   |  4 Pagesmost important western philosophers. He was a student of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. I found that his biggest impacts on modern society were in the subject areas of ethics, and zoology. Aristotle wrote the first book ever written about ethics titles â€Å"The Nicomachean Ethics,† and it is still one of the greatest and most influentialRead MoreHistorical Events That Took Place During The Classical Period1458 Words   |  6 Pagesamount of historical significance there is no doubting that it had influenced the people born. Notorious philosopher Aristotle is no exception, contributing a great deal to the fields of mathematics, biology and ethics. His book titled Nicomachean Ethics contains his views on the ethics of mankind and how they can be applied on a daily basis. This essay will look critically at how the historical events that took place during the Classical Period may have influenced Aristotle’s work. Aristotle wasRead MoreMy Views On Education And Education1304 Words   |  6 Pagesam going to examine and compare my views on education to the great philosophers Aristotle, Socrates and Plato. Education should not be something forced on people from a very young age. We are educating our children to be master test takers who conform to the norm and not to think outside the box. My position is supported by Socrates in Plato s The Republic and Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics, Book II. Because students waste too much time on testing, education should not be compulsory . Read MoreAristotle s Theory Of Virtue1493 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is a reflection as to what virtue is. Aristotle’s definition of virtue can be described as the as the â€Å"state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by reason and by that reason by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it† (Nicomachean Ethics, 31). In addition to that, Aristotle illustrates two types of virtue that stem from his primary idea; moral and intellectual virtue. Aristotle expounds moral virtueRead MoreAristotle s Symposium : The Nicomachean Ethics1934 Words   |  8 Pages720532457 The Symposium verses The Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Ethics) is regarded as one of the, if not the greatest work concerning ethics in history. The word ethics derives from the Greek word ethos, which translates more properly as â€Å"character†, and it would seem that Aristotle’s concern in The Ethics, is what constitutes good character, and that goodness is of practical use; that merely knowing how to be a way is only half of what’s necessary, and that the known mustRead MoreMy Views On Education And Education1154 Words   |  5 Pagesam going to examine and compare my views on education to the great philosophers Aristotle, Socrates and Plato. Education should not be something forced on people from a very young age. We are educating our children to be master test takers who conform to the norm and not to think outside the box. My position is supported by Socrates in Plato s The Republic and Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics, Book II. Because students waste too much time on testing, education should not be compulsory. First ofRead MoreAristotle, The Man Of Thinking1025 Words   |  5 Pagesa man called Plato. The institute was known as the Platonic Academy, he studied there for nearly 20 years. This institute is where it all begin. Aristotle’s father was a physician. This sparked an interest in Aristotle at an early age for science. His interest was not in medicine but other fields of study. There is not much information about the early life of Aristotle. At the age of 18, he traveled to Athens where, as stated earlier, he enrolled in an academy taught by Plato. Plato took him underRead More Aristotle and the Doctrine of the Mean Essay1436 Words   |  6 Pagespleasure, but Aristotle ties happiness to well acting. Aristotle was also clearly not opposed to material well being. It needs the external goods as well; for it is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without the proper equipment. (Nicomachean Ethics, Bk 1, Ch. 8, p. 96) More importantly, Aristotle ties satisfaction to Eudaimonia. Satisfaction is seen by Aristotle as a vital step to achieving Eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is one of the key concepts to Aristotelian philosophy because Aristotle