Writes Copper, "the Nicomachean Ethics, many hold, is the greatest work ever written on practical philosophy" (p. 126). The greatest portion of this appeal comes from Aristotle's ability to reconcile the cultivation of a pure, inner self with the promotion of the universal good of mankind as a whole (Cooper).
While Aristotle's conception of virtue can be a valuable practical guide on how to live one's life, his philosophy is not without major flaws. In particular, the idea that humans as a whole have a distinct function is questionable. Notes Sumner, "it is not at all strange to ask what the function is of a bricklayer or a kidney. But no answer comes readily to mind when we ask what the function is of a human being-or, for that matter a giraffe or a lichen" (p. 71). Writes Pritchett, "Aristotle's assertion that humans even have a function is optimistic or possibly reached by faulty assumptions." Further, he fails to effectively establish why humans must necessarily possess a function, and why the human function must necessarily be unique (Pritchett).
Given the complexity of human culture, individuals, and interactions, it seems intuitively wrong to assume that the functions of one human individual that create eudaimonia to would be the same as in another. Certainly, even ethical virtues, or 'excellences of character', may vary according to culture. For example, many Asian countries place a much larger emphasis on familial relationships than Western countries, which tend to value individuality above that of the family. Notes Harris, "We should be cautious about Aristotle's assumptions about the species-wide good, especially in regard to humans..." (p. 99).
In the same vein, Aristotle's argument that the distinct...
Like Aristotle's virtue-based ethics, utilitarians believe that happiness is the ultimate goal of human life and therefore of any ethical system that can be devised. Also like Aristotle, they perceived that to be virtuous required society; being virtuous when completely alone is impossible, as there is no one to be un-virtuous towards. This also means that individual happiness cannot be the only consideration in utilitarian ethics, but that the
Aristotle's View Of Friendship Aristotle views friendship as one of the most necessary and integral components to life, something sought after by all men. He goes so far as to imply that without friendship, life is not worth living at all. Friendship is described by Aristotle as one of the most important human needs, more so than power, status or prestige and is held in higher regard than these things by
Comparison between Aristotle and Confucius on Virtue, Good Ethical Character and Conduct Yu (1998) says that the word 'virtue' is derived from the Latin word 'virtus'. 'Vir' means manhood in literal translation from Latin. Consequently, Latin authors used it to translate 'arete'' from Greek, which referred to the perfect qualities of man. Any human action that completes and undertakes its function flawlessly can be said to be a virtue. Virtue is
Aristotle thought happiness was longer in coming, it was the manner of being actualized and fulfilling one's true potential using their own individual gifts: Again, if the virtues are concerned with actions and passions, and every passion and every action is accompanied by pleasure and pain, for this reason also virtue will be concerned with pleasures and pains. This is indicated also by the fact that punishment is indicated by
Aristotle, Hobbes, Machiavelli and Bellah What are the different conceptions of knowledge that inform Hobbes's and Aristotle's respective accounts of politics? Be specific about questions of individualism, virtue, and justice. In Bellah's terms, what kind of politics would they support? How are they related to Bellah's views on the relationship between social science and social life? Aristotle stated repeatedly that the needs of the state and society overrode individual pleasures, desires and
Aristotle: The Relationship Between Slavery and Political Government and Constitution Aristotle (384-322 BC) was a Greek philosopher as well as a scientist and social thinker. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the ancient world and his views on political theory still have influence today. Central to all his philosophical thinking is the idea of reason and rationality. Aristotle's view that reason was the primary and most important aspect
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