Aristotle Notes Introduction: Aristotle’s Definition of Happiness “Happiness depends on ourselves.” More than anybody else‚ Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. As a result he devotes more space to the topic of happiness than any thinker prior to the modern era. Living during the same period as Mencius‚ but on the other side of the world‚ he draws some similar conclusions. That is‚ happiness depends on the cultivation of virtue‚ though his virtues
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Aristotle believes that we need virtue‚ both of thought and of character‚ to achieve that completeness leading to happiness. This is the function: activity in the soul in accord with virtue‚ where soul is defined as what is in us that carries out our characteristic activity. Aristotle is right in believing we need virtue. The end of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Book I introduces the idea that since happiness is “a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with complete virtue‚ we
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lifestyle is right for us. More so‚ how do we know which lifestyles are those that are correct for human beings? According to Aristotle‚ to live a just and correct lifestyle we must use reasoning in our actions while also practicing those that are characteristics that are virtuous. Virtue being that of good character‚ good habits and being conducted by reason. Such virtues commonly known are courage or modesty. It is through a series of reasonable actions that form good character that we humans can
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Sarah Bader Al-Din 6652179 Aristotle Essay CLA/PHI3380A Aristotle’s views have today come to shape the way in which people view things and how they think. In this essay I will be discussing the difference between continence and temperance and their relation to moral virtue and how it is possessed. I will explain what Aristotle’s view on knowledge‚ and how it the key to human life. When Aristotle describes moral virtue he describes it as something that “comes as a result of habit”(Nicomanchean Ethics
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Virtue ethics asks What kind of person should I be? What kind of person should I strive to be? I should strive to be virtuous. Thus‚ the notion of virtue becomes fundamental. What is a virtue? A fixed positive character trait that involves various dispositions. For Aristotle morality is about living in accordance with virtue. Every activity has some goal or end and his project here is to figure out what the Good consists in According to Aristotle something is good to the extent that it fulfills
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Aristotle’s understanding of virtue and his explanation of virtuous actions as presented in Nicomachean Ethics. In Book II of the work‚ Aristotle distinguishes between moral virtues‚ which are learned through habit and practice‚ and intellectual virtues‚ which are learned through instruction. However‚ it is not until later in Book II that Aristotle actually defines virtue. He opens Chapter 5 with‚ "Next we must consider what virtue is" (35) and at its end asserts that virtue is a state of character.
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Moral virtue would be a difficult concept to grasp if one were to search and seize such a thing. A consistent idea of virtue isn’t easily defined‚ for its ambiguity lets us to believe our own perception is the correct one. By doing so‚ everyone is right‚ in their own sense‚ yet they are also wrong. This never-ending debate would never cease‚ therefore our efforts would render useless. A common ground is required for some kind of agreement between us. In The Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle provides
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Aristotle had a few theories of ethics. Aristotle believed that one attains happiness by living a virtuous life and through the development of reason and the faculty of theoretical wisdom. He believed that moral virtue is a relative mean between extremes of excess and deficiency and in general the moral life is one of moderation in all things except virtue. He believed that virtuous acts require conscious choice and moral purpose or motivation. Finally‚ he believed that moral virtue cannot be achieved
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Aristotle Virtues Theory talks about doing the right thing because it is rights. Not doing the right thing because it benefits you or because something of your personal is at stake. It is also about understanding right from wrong and applying that knowledge to moral behavior. Aristotle believed that when making a decision morals tend to take over in more cases than none. The decisions that we make has to do with having the knowledge of understanding right from wrong. He also say that the right decisions
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Aristotle’s Virtue theory is based on Teleology and the Golden Mean. He says that to be virtuous that we need to act with excellence. He believed that everything on this earth has its own virtue‚ meaning that if it performs the way it’s supposed to by its nature then it is virtuous. He asserted that every event had four causes or four factors that work on it and to bring it into being; 1) Material Cause- the “stuff the thing is made of. 2) Efficient Cause- the force that has brought it into being
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