Though Aristotle does not explicitly speak of meaning, he surely considered the reality of impartial values and meaning. While his primary concern was on the happiness gained by accounting for these values, he does not say that the happy life means the meaningful. However, we can infer that he thought that the good life and the meaningful life are equals. Therefore, Aristotle’s plan in order to live a good life is understandable, and is a guide to a meaningful life.…
There is a disparity between actions and character. If one completes a virtuous action, that is a single occurrence; however, if one demonstrates a virtuous character, this is a lifelong trait that is essential when living ethically among others. Virtuous actions are when others are aware of the situation; a virtuous character is having upholding moral actions even when no one is looking. To put this in perspective, a virtuous action would be when in To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem invited Walter over to their house for dinner because Scout bullied him and brought up his family’s financial troubles. This is a virtuous action because it was a onetime public incidence. On the other hand, a virtuous character would be when Atticus defended Tom…
In the quest to find out what is the ultimate human good, Aristotle dedicated Book 1 of the Nicomachean Ethics to provide an account of what is the ultimate human good, and what it consists of. This essay will examine why Aristotle thinks that eudaimonia (happiness), is the ultimate human good. Through this discussion, we will see Aristotle suggest four central views which are critical to eudaimonia being the ultimate human good. Firstly, one has to live a life according to one’s function. Secondly, natural, virtuous activity is required in order to live a life of happiness. Thirdly, one requires possessing external goods such as wealth, power and friends in order to be happy. Last but not least, in order to live a life of happiness, one has to live a whole life in accordance to virtue in order to determine if the person lived a happy life.…
When a person is not virtuous they won't make decisions based upon what is ethically right. Without morals and values guiding them their decisions will be self centered for personal gain and results. Say that a legislator wanted a law that benefited his interests directly. He could utilize his power to have a law drafted and passed. Acting without virtue, he still is gaining from his position in the State where his selfishness may cause the rest of the citizens harm. That very legislator would cause “civil and domestic broils.”…
2. How do these values affect your ethical decision-making? Which type of “ethical thinker” would you classify yourself as based on your chosen values? I really believe all the five values help me make an ethical decision. For example I would want a person that has ambition, compassion, loyalty, respect, and understanding to work for me. I think these values are important for everyday life.…
Aristotle was Plato’s prize pupil who discussed the types of moments where moral correctness may be applied to certain events, nature of virtues involved in the sound morality of humans as well as the ways to achieve happiness in one’s life. The overall question that Aristotle tends to ask himself and try to answer is the question that pertains to human character and personality, what do we as humans need to do, to be considered as a good person. Aristotle explained that every activity has a final cause and purpose at which it aims to achieve and he argued that since there is not an infinite amount of goods, there has to be one type of good that is the highest and most important which humans strive towards. He continues to describe this ultimate good and decided that it could be called happiness, however the only puzzling question left is, what is happiness? Due to its existence in so many forms it is tough to describe happiness as one true thing…
Virtues, according to Aristotle, are those strengths of character that promote 'eudomania' (human flourishing). A good action is a product of these virtues. A person is virtuous in so far as he acts with the goal of human flourishing in view.…
He states that if happiness comes from human cultivation, it can be easily shared and almost everybody could be able to achieve it. This is the basis for his strong belief that this is a better way to receive happiness. At one point he even writes, “it would be seriously inappropriate to entrust what is greatest and finest to fortune.” Citing this strong preference for human agency based happiness, Aristotle declares that this is how humans achieve happiness. He then remarks that this explanation dovetails well with the definition of happiness – the activity of the soul expressing virtue, with necessary and useful goods - he put forward earlier. In turn, since happiness depends on the virtue, which needs to be cultivated, teaching citizens virtue (political science) must be the best good. So this line of reasoning bolsters his conclusion that political science is the best…
Aristotle states virtue, are the “habits and traits that allow people to live well in communities” (Arthur & Scalet, 2009, p. 50). These virtues are characteristic traits such as honesty, generosity, bravery, and courage. Like many topics in life, courage is, for example, the center point or balance point of a pendulum where fear is on one side and confidence is on the other. Aristotle speaks of this as corresponding vises. Aristotle states that happiness depends on living in accordance with appropriate virtues. He says a virtuous person is naturally going to behave…
17.3 I agree with Aristotle’s argument and conclusion that being virtuous person contributes so much to someone’s life with regards to going well. The reason for this is that our ultimate goal ought to be self-sufficient. That is; Aristotle believed that the good of something should not be limited to instrumental values e.g. money and fame. The goal of life, according to Aristotle, should be about self-sufficiency, which means that a person needs to possess it all and make it worth for our lives. The other explanation is the rationality of doing something, which is something that sets human being apart from all the other living and non-living things. The ultimate rationality tends to consist of our daily reasoning power.…
There have been many different theories of virtue that have come to play over the years. In today’s society, the most popular theories are Kantianism and consequentialism. These two theories incline to concern with the categorizing of actions as either right or erroneous. “Although virtue ethics lacks in popularity, many people still cerebrate it is indispensable. Virtue ethics requires us to understand how to be transform ourselves into better people. That signifies we have to understand what is moral, how to be incentivized to be moral, and how to authentically deport morally.” [ CITATION JWG10 \l 1033 ].…
It is clear that Aristotle thinks happiness is what every human desires. He defines happiness as the highest good (Ethics 1095a), which by definition every person pursues as an ultimate end (1094a). Furthermore, he says that happiness can only be achieved through fulfillment of our characteristic activity, which is the thing that something does which makes it be that thing; for example, the characteristic activity of a flute-player is playing the flute. The good of anything with a characteristic activity is to perform that activity well (1097b). The characteristic activity of a human, says Aristotle, is a life concerned with reason (1098a), or more specifically, the activity of a soul concerned with reason. Therefore, the good of a human is to perform this activity well; that is, to live a life in accordance with virtue. Because this is a good of the soul, and goods of the soul are the best type of good (1098b), and because achieving the good of a human is the ultimate goal of being a human, Aristotle says that a life in accordance with…
In Book VII, Aristotle describes the three states of goodness, continence, virtue and superhuman virtue or the three states of badness, incontinence, vice and brutishness. Specifically, his first argument involves the concept of incontinence. What is incontinence? The continent person chooses to follow their conscience while the incontinent person allows something else to make that decision, ending up making a wrong decision. According to Socrates an individual can’t act against knowledge because when a man is incontinent, he is unaware of his wrongness since his moral weakness is affected by emotions and other factors which influence his knowledge. As a result, there can be incontinence in desire and in anger as such circumstances make a…
The virtuous person must enjoy being virtuous (ex. not like the one who avoids stealing because of fear of punishment). Thus, virtue becomes its own reward. It must be performed for itself.…
Virtue is the moral character of a person. A virtuous person will try to live up to a high moral standard. A person of virtue is who thought to be kind they we would expect this person to be kind in all different situations. This ethical theory is different from other theories because virtue does not focus on duties and rules or the consequences of an action of helping…