Aristotle Essay

Even though Aristotle was not a direct student under Plato at The Academy, he became and developed into one of the most famous Greek philosophers. After his years spent at The Academy, Aristotle developed his moral of philosophy in his book the Nicomachean Ethics. In this book, Aristotle explains the origin, nature, and development of virtues, which are essential for achieving the best and highest good that human beings are capable of, which is happiness. According to Aristotle, happiness is…

and perfection. In the above excerpt from Book 12, we are presented with the problems of divine thought along with the rational solutions. Aristotle is absolutely determined that the Prime Mover is the very being of νοῦς, and with this in mind he systematically dismantles the counterarguments, but in doing so he seems to encounter a new problem. The more Aristotle denies human-like common characteristics of intellect—from the “sleeping” intellect of autonomous action, to the intellection of…

Aristotle discusses in his collection of books Nicomachean Ethics and Politics what it means to be a good person and how to live a good fulfilling life. He believes everyone has a goal and must reach their highest potential to feel satisfied in life. Aristotle gives reasonings on how to be a virtuous human and how to be a good citizen in the society in which you live. Although both writings discuss the same umbrella topic of the Good Life, they both provide a various amount of philosophical…

matter allows us to account for sensible substances in ways that neither the Pre-Socratics nor the Platonists and Pythagoreans could. By making a substance “something yet again,” Aristotle allows us the ability to dismiss the problems faced by Plato (in reference to accounting for a form’s ability to change), and also the issues of infinite regresses faced by the Pre-Socratics. However, form and matter themselves are not “things” in the same way that a substance is a thing. Form and matter are…

Both Aristotle and Nietzsche’s philosophies impacted the entire study of philosophy. Friedrich Nietzsche faced many criticisms during his time on earth and continues to be the face of unique and adverse ways of thinking. Starting off, Nietzsche and Aristotle “saw the ability of the Greek tragedy to transform human understand” (Mitchell 328). Moreover, Aristotle was often pegged as going off the track by not following and often challenging the lessons taught by his teacher, Plato. However,…

Aristotle and Machiavelli both have separate stand points on what moral virtue means to them. While Aristotle connects moral virtue to a regime he calls mixed polity, Machiavelli says mans essence is determined through metaphysics. Mans essence is defined by both Aristotle and Machiavelli as the development of men. Aristotle argues that leaders should have moral virtues or what he calls regime, not just have them but have the highest amount of it. A regime by definition is a set of norms, But…

and preserves the friendship” (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 1163b). Aristotle is concerned with balance in the nature of friendship, suggesting that the amount given and received in a friendship must be exchanged both proportionally and reciprocally. He suggests that friendships last “when the love is in proportion to the merit of the parties”, meaning that in a relationship of people who are unequal, the person who is most worthy should be loved the most (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics,…

Aristotle is largely concerned in the Politics with the idea of political virtue and the effects it has on the formation of the government. He defines political virtue as having a sense of justice, dedication to the common good, and prudence. Throughout his discussion of how various regimes see political virtue, Aristotle refuses to take sides. However, he ultimately argues that the most just regime gives political power to those with the most political virtue. Aristotle concludes that the best…

good. Aristotle first states that the term good can be seen as a goal that a human may aim to act upon. These human actions are performed for the supreme good which many refer to as happiness. This is because of happiness being an end sufficient in itself such as an individual gaining knowledge or virtue resulting in that person feeling happy, There are some philosophers who believe that pleasure is determined to be the ultimate good while others view pleasure as being entirely bad. Aristotle…

with an acquaintance or an encounter with a person you just met can trigger a so-called “friendship” to arise almost immediately. However Aristotle, an early Greek philosopher whose principles are outlined in his book The Nicomachean Ethics and have lingered until the present, had much narrower conditions regarding how legitimate friendships develop. Aristotle was a firm believer that not just anyone can be a genuine friend and that not every relationship qualified to be a friendship. He…