" In other words, he philosopher advocates temperance, especially as far as emotion is concerned. This is combined with actions or "habits," as Aristotle terms them. A person who is temperate while also engaging in "good" activities or habits can then be said to be virtuous. It appears that this definition fits well with what could constitute "good" even in today's terms. A person who would disagree with the above might argue that both my and Aristotle's definition of "good" and "virtue" is far too vague to have any valid application. Neither definition, for example, acknowledges cultural variation in terms of what might constitute "virtue." A person from the Far East, for example, might consider it virtuous to obey one's parents in everything, including one's choice of a bride. In Western culture, on the other hand, and by the above definition, it is decidedly "bad" to make one's children miserable by choosing a life partner for them. Such a choice would not be based upon love, but rather on social or financial status, which is considered to be less noble than making a choice for love. In this argument, therefore, the entire concept of virtue is flexible, even when consisting of the requirement that others must not be harmed. The same action could, for example, be considered harmful or virtuous, depending upon one's viewpoint. How could one therefore argue that there is any single definition of virtue, and especially one that is thousands of years old? The answer is that there is not, because cultures and individuals have their own individual...
His ideas are a guideline that can be applied within any human relationships. Between an Eastern parent and child, for example, the virtue of temperance is involved when the son or daughter accepts the parents' choice of life partner. As long as all parties are in agreement regarding this tradition, I do not see any harm. It is when conflict arises that the virtue of the tradition may be questioned. Even in such a case, however, virtue can extend beyond the "habit" of tradition and culture. A Japanese daughter, for example, may fall in love with a person other than her parents' choice. By communicating, the family may come to an compromise regarding this attachment, which everyone finds acceptable. Harm is therefore minimized or eliminated altogether. I would therefore argue that a universal definition of virtue should be both vague and flexible in order to apply to the specific actions or habits considered to be virtuous in different cultures.
Socrates and Plato Greek philosophy held a preeminent place in the middle ages among scholastics like Thomas Aquinas, whose Summa Theologica was an attempt to reconcile faith and reason. The faith aspect was supplied by the Church, but the reason came from classical (pagan) ecclesiology -- notably from Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. The latter was the pupil of the former, and the former was the pupil of the first
Aristotle on Incontinence Greek Philosophy Incontinence is a term which is used by Philosophers. It stems from the Greek term, which is Akrasia, which means lack of mastery -- or when someone is not able to withhold his or her desires. It describes human passion and desires and giving in to one's pleasures, not considering if an act is the right thing to do, according to Aristotle. However, it is believed by
Greek Civilization: Compare Greek religion in the two different periods in history in the eighth century, the time of Homer, and in the fifth century BCE, according to the following: The different ways they believed their gods intervened. During the Epic Age, that of Homer, they believed that the God directly intervened in the lives of human beings. Over time, as the rulers of Greece became more powerful, the population began to feel
Berkley stated that because the senses were potentially faulty, everyone's sense perceptions and thus everyone's 'truth' was unique and variable. However, most empiricists like Locke believed that some (few) things could be known with certainty, like shape and color, even if other properties of things could not be known. The empiricists come from the Aristotelian rather than the Platonic tradition of philosophy, and had rigorous standards of truth based upon
He believes that fear of punishment for injustice is all that maintains our praise of justice. Gyges was willing to discard all sense of justice and nobility once the opportunity to act freely presented itself. 5. Socrates' use of the city as metaphor in his discussion of justice is the long way of describing the usefulness of justice and its application in human life. His description of a good city
Whereas the Greek had a balanced view of the values inherent in both the physical and the intellectual, the Romans were more practical, and valued war above intellectual abilities. As mentioned, Rome freely adopted parts of other cultures and religions, including Greece. The Romans hoped for a better afterlife than the Greeks did, which explains the appeal of Christianity to the nation. While a good afterlife was a prospect for
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