Michael Robinson
Professor Honisberg
Ethics
6 December 2016
Jesus and Aristotle
Historically there has always been a separation between philosophy and religion. While philosophy has mentioned religion multiple times there is no well-known link between the two. I grew up my entire life as a Baptist Christian but I never really had a great understanding of philosophy. The only names that I knew had anything to do with philosophy about were Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. With my limited understanding of the subject matter, I believed that they were relics of the past who represented the desperate search for knowledge that all humans have had. While those three men were the definite faces of Philosophy for me, I knew the clear leader of it all …show more content…
Restored vision to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He stopped people from stoning a woman by exposing their hypocrisy, and he even washed the dirty feet of his followers. Jesus is considered to be one of the most virtuous men to ever live. But if we take a closer look at his teachings we would find that his virtue leaves much to be desired in the eyes of Aristotle. Jesus and Aristotle had very different beliefs for attaining true Happiness. Jesus taught us that we would find our Happiness within God and with serving our fellow human. Aristotle on the other hand “Was concerned with how one could live a successful life-or, in more modern terms, how a human being could flourish. Serving others was not a part of that successful life.”(Hospers 40) Aristotle was more focused on the self and how the individual could seek what is good for them specifically. I was told to follow what Jesus tells me to do, and learn from him. Now that I have grown up and sought out information for myself, I have learned about both the teachings of Jesus and Aristotle. I have found that they have key differences between each other in relation to virtues. While Jesus has his own points about virtue, his points and Aristotle’s do not go hand in hand. Aristotle’s teachings are …show more content…
These virtues are listed as follows: bravery; self control; generosity; magnificence; magnanimity; proper ambition; mildness; friendliness; truthfulness; wit; shame; righteous indignation; distributive justice; rectificatory justice. All of these virtues are active qualities one can choose to exhibit. Most forms of virtuousness within the constraints of Christianity have to do with godliness. A person who is virtuous is that way because they exhibit Godly characteristics. Jesus states what constitutes virtuous behavior in “The Beatitudes,” as given in his Sermon on the Mount. People who are virtuous according to Christianity exhibit the following characteristics: poor in spirit; mourning; meekness; hunger and thirst for righteousness; merciful; clean of heart; peacemaking; persecuted for the sake of righteousness (Matthew 5). A lot of the Beatitudes don’t line up with Aristotelian virtuousness by encouraging excess or deficiency. The mean between poor and rich is comfortableness. Someone who is poor in spirit is exhibiting a deficiency, and cannot be considered virtuous to Aristotle. Being in a constant state of mourning is a large deficiency. To Aristotle meekness would be considered a very submissive quality. The mean between submissive and dominant would probably be more assertive than “meekness”. Hunger and thirst also suggest a deficiency; a mean would be just enough or full. Mercy exists on one end of a scale, with
Professor Honisberg
Ethics
6 December 2016
Jesus and Aristotle
Historically there has always been a separation between philosophy and religion. While philosophy has mentioned religion multiple times there is no well-known link between the two. I grew up my entire life as a Baptist Christian but I never really had a great understanding of philosophy. The only names that I knew had anything to do with philosophy about were Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. With my limited understanding of the subject matter, I believed that they were relics of the past who represented the desperate search for knowledge that all humans have had. While those three men were the definite faces of Philosophy for me, I knew the clear leader of it all …show more content…
Restored vision to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He stopped people from stoning a woman by exposing their hypocrisy, and he even washed the dirty feet of his followers. Jesus is considered to be one of the most virtuous men to ever live. But if we take a closer look at his teachings we would find that his virtue leaves much to be desired in the eyes of Aristotle. Jesus and Aristotle had very different beliefs for attaining true Happiness. Jesus taught us that we would find our Happiness within God and with serving our fellow human. Aristotle on the other hand “Was concerned with how one could live a successful life-or, in more modern terms, how a human being could flourish. Serving others was not a part of that successful life.”(Hospers 40) Aristotle was more focused on the self and how the individual could seek what is good for them specifically. I was told to follow what Jesus tells me to do, and learn from him. Now that I have grown up and sought out information for myself, I have learned about both the teachings of Jesus and Aristotle. I have found that they have key differences between each other in relation to virtues. While Jesus has his own points about virtue, his points and Aristotle’s do not go hand in hand. Aristotle’s teachings are …show more content…
These virtues are listed as follows: bravery; self control; generosity; magnificence; magnanimity; proper ambition; mildness; friendliness; truthfulness; wit; shame; righteous indignation; distributive justice; rectificatory justice. All of these virtues are active qualities one can choose to exhibit. Most forms of virtuousness within the constraints of Christianity have to do with godliness. A person who is virtuous is that way because they exhibit Godly characteristics. Jesus states what constitutes virtuous behavior in “The Beatitudes,” as given in his Sermon on the Mount. People who are virtuous according to Christianity exhibit the following characteristics: poor in spirit; mourning; meekness; hunger and thirst for righteousness; merciful; clean of heart; peacemaking; persecuted for the sake of righteousness (Matthew 5). A lot of the Beatitudes don’t line up with Aristotelian virtuousness by encouraging excess or deficiency. The mean between poor and rich is comfortableness. Someone who is poor in spirit is exhibiting a deficiency, and cannot be considered virtuous to Aristotle. Being in a constant state of mourning is a large deficiency. To Aristotle meekness would be considered a very submissive quality. The mean between submissive and dominant would probably be more assertive than “meekness”. Hunger and thirst also suggest a deficiency; a mean would be just enough or full. Mercy exists on one end of a scale, with