ARISTOTLE. ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.) Founder of every science or domain of study known to humans...
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Transcript of ARISTOTLE. ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.) Founder of every science or domain of study known to humans...
ARISTOTLE
ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.)
Founder of every science or domain of study known to humans Physics Literary Criticism Chemistry Anthropology Biology Ethics Metaphysics Political
science Metereology Psychology Logic
Original contributions to philosophy after Aristotle Augustine – Theory of the Will
Thomas d’Aquino – Phil. of Human Nature
Hegel – Dialectic, elaboration of Aristotle
Marx – Political Economy & Social Psychology
– first major advance beyond Aristotle
- but based on Aristotle,
- called «the Aristotle of the 19th century»
Heidegger – Phenomenology – Aristotelian psychology
Modernists reject Aristotle
Descartes – his skepticism became basis of individualistic exploitation of community
Locke – skepticism leads to theory of property rejecting Aristotle’s understanding of individual within community
Smith – complete rejection of Aristotle’s theory of moral economy – Bush-style free enterprise
ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.) born Macedonia 15 yrs after d. of Socrates student at Plato’s Academy at age 17 Collaborates with Plato on dialogues
- disagreed over essential realities of our world - Forms vs. Substances (living organisms)
Leaves Academy after Plato’s death pursues research in biology Tutor of Alexander Founds Lyceum in Athens (334 BC)
Raphael, The School at Athens.Vatican museums.
Nicomachean Ethics
Reading next 2 weeks
The complete ‘good’(NE i.7—key chapter)
- ‘what is intrinsically worth pursuing is more complete than what is worth pursuing for something else’
- the ‘intrinsically choiceworthy’ ‘most chiceworthy of all things’
- ‘self-sufficient’
= Happiness (eudaimonia), but this is ‘commonplace’—what does it mean?
Happiness (eudaimonia)
Eudaimonia ‘living well,’ ‘doing well’
‘Not a state’ of mind (EN x.6), ‘an activity rather than a state’ So Aristotle doesn’t mean the way you feel
eating ice cream or going shopping Aristotle: Maybe, we can understand
happiness if we understand function of human
Aristotle on function (ergon) in general ‘Everything is defined by its ergon and
capacity’ (Politics, Bk.i, ch. 2.1253a23)
Ergon = function, work, product Homonymous
E.g., function (ergon) of house builder is to build houses (product= ergon) for other members of the community: this is her/his work (ergon).
Aristotle on function (ergon)—cont. E.g., a doctor is the ergon he actualizes:
it is easy, Aristotle says, to know various remedies for illness, but how to dispense them and to whom and when, ‘that much a function (ergon) is what it is to be a doctor’ (NE v.9.1137a16).
If something loses its function, ceases to be. An eye that loses capacity to see no longer an
eye, except homonymously
What is function of human being? (NE i.7)
Functions of craftsmen Flute player, carpenter, doctor
Not function of individual parts, or function(s) we share with animals or plants
Function of living thing involves activity (energeia), the actuality of living
= activity of the soul or life-principal (psuche) Since reason distinctive of humans, ‘function
of human involves activity in accord w. reason’
Function performed well if performed in accordance with virtue of the thing E.g., knife, goat
Conclusion about happiness ‘the human good turns out to be activity of soul
in accord with virtue’ Let’s examine the parts of this statement:
‘Soul’ (Psuche) ‘Virtue’ (arete)
Psuche = ‘soul’ or ‘life-force’
Nothing to do with religion Greek belief that all living things possess
some life principal or force Plants, animals, humans – all have soul, but
differ in capacities Ensouled things are substances. Psuche is form of the thing What does it mean to say soul is ‘form’?
Form and matter
Aristotle says everything that exists in our world is a composite of form and matter
Form is nature or whatness of a thing Example of bronze sphere, as teaching tool
to introduce more advanced case of form as soul.
Form & matter II
The form sphere provides shape for bronze scrap to be worked into bronze sphere.
Sphere is whatness of bronze sphere.
Soul understood by its capacities, i.e., what organism can do.
Capacities of psuche
Nutritive – shared with plants & animals Perceptual & locomotive – shared w animals Intellective/rational – distinctly human
For happiness to be human, must involve exercise of intellective/rational capacity Aristotle says people who do not live by
intellect cannot be happy (EN x.9)
Intellective capacity
Activity (energeia) of Intellective capacity is form-generating & form-perceiving.
Same forms that are nature or whatness of things are forms in intellect by which we perceive those things.
We acquire forms through experience with things that embody them. E.g., bronze sphere embodies form ‘sphere’.
Aristotle rejects skepticism So, Aristotle argues that knowledge is based
on an identity between the knower and the known. That is one result of his theory that all things
are composites of form and matter.
Ergo, Aristotle rejects skepticism of Descartes.
Virtue
Remember Aristotle’s definition of happiness: ‘activity/actuality of soul in accord with virtue’
He adds: ‘and if there are more virtues than one, then in
accord with best and most complete virtue’ (i.7)
Cf. list of virtues, right column last table Best and most complete virtue is JUSTICE.
Justice
“Justice is the only virtue that seems to be another person’s good, for it is related to another, for it does what benefits another” (EN 1130a3-4).
Justice not a matter of fairness, but rather of helping another.
Justice in economic relations
Primary example of justice in Aristotle’s theory of exchange:
a person wealthier or more powerful helps another in their mutual exchange of goods, s/he loses money to the other in the transaction.
Conclusion: what is happiness?
Happiness is fulfillment of the human function of activity of soul in accordance with the virtue of justice to benefit others as much as I am able.