Aristotle and the best kind of life in society

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

5 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

01/13/2009

Category :

Political science

Sub category :

Social sciences

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Summary :

Introduction.
Aristotle's definition of the purpose of the human being as an excellence.
Virtue.
1. Excellence by itself.
2. Excesses and deficiencies.
Aristotle being considered in opposition with Plato.
Habits and the nature of virtue.
The importance given by Aristotle to the study of friendship, pleasure and amusement.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

Abstract

Nicomachean Ethics (NE) is generally considered, not without any reason, as one of the main books in the history of the ethics. Indeed, aristotle describes and constructs in his book major concepts, like virtue or happiness that have been used for a long time, from Kant to Arendt and that do not lose their modernity, judging by the number of commentaries about this book. However, many imprecision's remain, especially around the question of the good life. As A. MacC. Armstrong (1958) picks out, the notion of Good and Goodness can be confusing and lead to some interrogations or mistakes. Moreover, different interpretations of the best kind of life can seem to be in opposition. Thus, some see in the Greek philosopher's thought two inconsistent teachings (Clark, 1975) when others see only one (Cooper, 1975). In other words, the debate shows a tension between the Book I and the Book X of NE, which allows two visions of the good life; the second one excluding "any concern for familial, social or political life, except insofar as they provide the conditions for a life of theoretical activity" (Tessitore, 1992, p.199).