Aristotle and Virtue Theory Notes

Aristotle Notes

Biography

-          Born in Macedonia. Lived in Athens.

-          Son of a wealthy and highly influential court physician to the King of Macedonia.

-          Aristotle became Plato’s student for around 20 years.

Ø  Plato had been Socrates’ student for around 10 years.

Ø  Socrates was the founding father of western philosophy.

-          Left Athens as a result of racial hatred against Macedonians.

-          Became a tutor to Alexander the Great.

-          Married the King’s niece.

Ø  Political and financial support from the King.

-          Returned to Athens and founded his own school of philosophy.

-          After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE Athenian popular opinion turned against Macedon.

-          Aristotle was charged with impiety (godlessness / sinfulness) owing to his earlier association with Alexander and the Macedonian Court.

-          Aristotle chose to flee Athens and said "lest the Athenians sin twice against philosophy"

-          He died a year later at the age of 62.

-          In his lifetime he influenced various disciplines in ways we still speak of today:

Ø  First ‘dictionary of philosophical terms’

Ø  The Organon or Instrument (Logic)

Ø  The Physics, On the Heavens (Physical Sciences)

Ø  The History of Animals, on the parts of Animals (Biological Sciences)

Ø  The Soul (Psychological Sciences)

Ø  Politics, The Constitution of Athens (Politics)

Ø  Nicomachean Ethics, Eudemian Ethics (Ethics)

The Soul

-          Goodness is referred to as goodness of the soul.

-          Happiness is defined as an activity of the soul.

-          The soul is divided into two parts:

Ø  The Rational.

Ø  The Irrational.

-          Each of these two parts is divided into another two parts:

Ø  The Irrational:

·         Vegetative. (NEEDS)

o   Cause of nutrition and growth. Those basic instincts necessary for individual and collective survival such as eating, drinking, resting and procreating.

·         Desiderative. (WANTS)

o   Desires and wants which can be channelled, controlled or made submissive. These are the desires that aren’t just for food but for a particular kind of food. Wants and desires include all luxury goods and activities that aren’t necessary for survival.

Ø  The Rational:

·         Scientific.

o   Can grasp invariable first principles. All the facts that are not up for debate. E.g. maths, physics etc.

·         Calculative.

o   Considers things in order to reach a decision about what to do, choose, buy etc. Instead of being focused on knowing it focuses on how to choose or how to come to a decision. Allows us to weigh up arguments.

Doctrine of Mean

-          We all have the potential to develop these moral and intellectual virtues. However, it is likely that only a few people will be able to cultivate the potential virtues into actual virtues.

-          We must regulate our emotions and responses to people and situations…