how did aristotle view virtue course hero

What is a good book about Aristotle's philosophy of virtue?

The Virtue Ethics of Aristotle The philosophical inquiry into ethics began with ancient Greeks. Although the main preoccupation of the ancient philosophers during that time was about trying to find an answer as regards the question "where did everything come from? ", the sophists tried to focus their inquiry into a man as a human person and as a thinking being.

What are the five main points of Aristotle's ethics?

May 14, 2019 · How does Aristotle use the concepts of happiness, virtue, teleology and the Golden mean to generate a moral theory? Virtue, then, is a kind of moderation as it aims at the mean or moderate amount. Aristotle's ethics is strongly teleological, practical, which means that it should be the action that leads to the realization of the good of the human being as well as the …

What does Aristotle mean by virtuous habit of action?

Feb 23, 2020 · In Aristotle’s view, the virtue are: ( acquired through philosophical reflection) 3. How was the school founded by Aristotle known?(lyceum) 4. ... Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. ...

What is a good according to Aristotle?

Nov 23, 2014 · In Aristotle’s view, the virtues are: Student Answer: acquired through habit. acquired through philosophical reflection. a gift from …

How did Aristotle view virtue?

Aristotle defines moral virtue as a disposition to behave in the right manner and as a mean between extremes of deficiency and excess, which are vices. We learn moral virtue primarily through habit and practice rather than through reasoning and instruction.

How does Aristotle define virtue essay?

Aristotle holds that virtues originate from actions that human beings perform because one can either be a good or bad person based on actions. In his ethics, Aristotle asserts that whatever activities that human beings do ultimately lead to a good or a bad end.Oct 17, 2020

How does Aristotle define virtue quote?

Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, being determined by rational principle as determined by the moderate man of practical wisdom. The end being what we wish for, the means what we deliberate about and we choose our actions voluntarily.Jun 10, 2019

What does Aristotle argue about virtue?

According to Aristotle, virtues are character dispositions or personality traits. This focus on our dispositions and our character, rather than our actions in isolation, is what earns Aristotelian Virtue Ethics the label of being an agent- centered moral theory rather than an act-centered moral theory.

Why is virtue important to Aristotle?

In the Ethics, Aristotle describes a thorough understanding of ethical and intellectual virtue. By pursuing these virtues, Aristotle argues that a person can achieve a life of fulfilling happiness. The ideal polis as described in the Politics serves as a place where the virtuous life is attained in the best manner.

What is Aristotle's view of morality?

The moral theory of Aristotle, like that of Plato, focuses on virtue, recommending the virtuous way of life by its relation to happiness.Aug 3, 2004

Why does Aristotle say that virtue is a mean or intermediate?

Aristotle describes a virtue as a “mean” or “intermediate” between two extremes: one of excess and one of deficiency. 2. Example: bravery (e.g. on a battlefield) Involves how much we let fear restrict or modify our actions. Bravery is the mean or intermediate between cowardliness and rashness.

Does Aristotle believe virtue is innate?

Aristotle claims that the virtues are innate. According to Aristotle, to be virtuous is for the rational part of one's soul to govern over the non-rational part. According to Aristotle, happiness is an activity, not a state. Aristotle holds that an inquiry into ethics cannot be perfectly precise.

What are virtues in Aristotle's view?

Although the virtues are habits of acting or dispositions to act in certain ways, Aristotle maintained that these habits are acquired by engaging in proper conduct on specific occasions and that doing so requires thinking about what one does in a specific way. Neither demonstrative knowledge of the sort employed in science nor aesthetic judgment of the sort applied in crafts are relevant to morality. The understanding {Gk. διανοια [diánoia] } can only explore the nature of origins of things, on Aristotle’s view, and wisdom {Gk. σοφια [sophía] } can only trace the demonstratable connections among them.

Why did Aristotle give careful consideration to the aspects of human nature involved in acting and accepting moral responsibility?

Because ethics is a practical rather than a theoretical science , Aristotle also gave careful consideration to the aspects of human nature involved in acting and accepting moral responsibility. Moral evaluation of an action presupposes the attribution of responsibility to a human agent.

What is Aristotle's goal in ethics?

The Goal of Ethics. Aristotle applied the same patient, careful, descriptive approach to his examination of moral philosophy in the Εθικη Νικομαχοι ( Nicomachean Ethics ). Here he discussed the conditions under which moral responsibility may be ascribed to individual agents, the nature of the virtues and vices involved in moral evaluation, ...

What did Aristotle consider the role of human relationships in general and friendship?

φιλια [philia] } in particular as a vital element in the good life.

What is the good for human beings?

The good for human beings, then, must essentially involve the entire proper function of human life as a whole, and this must be an activity of the soul that expresses genuine virtue or excellence. ( Nic.

What is the morality of Aristotle?

Under these conditions, Aristotle supposed, moral actions are within our power to perform or avoid; hence, we can reasonably be held responsible for them and their consequences. Just as with health of the body, virtue of the soul is a habit that can be acquired (at least in part) as the result of our own choices.

What did Aristotle say about happiness?

Pleasure is not a good in itself, he argued, since it is by its nature incomplete. But worthwhile activities are often associated with their own distinctive pleasures. Hence, we are rightly guided in life by our natural preference for engaging in pleasant activities rather than in unpleasant ones.

What are the two kinds of virtues Aristotle identifies?

Aristotle distinguishes two kinds of virtue (1103a1–10): those that pertain to the part of the soul that engages in reasoning (virtues of mind or intellect), and those that pertain to the part of the soul that cannot itself reason but is nonetheless capable of following reason (ethical virtues, virtues of character). Intellectual virtues are in turn divided into two sorts: those that pertain to theoretical reasoning , and those that pertain to practical thinking 1139a3–8). He organizes his material by first studying ethical virtue in general, then moving to a discussion of particular ethical virtues (temperance, courage, and so on), and finally completing his survey by considering the intellectual virtues (practical wisdom, theoretical wisdom, etc.).

What is Aristotle's view on pleasure?

Aristotle frequently emphasizes the importance of pleasure to human life and therefore to his study of how we should live (see for example 1099a7–20 and 1104b3–1105a16), but his full-scale examination of the nature and value of pleasure is found in two places: VII.11–14 and X.1–5. It is odd that pleasure receives two lengthy treatments; no other topic in the Ethics is revisited in this way. Book VII of the Nicomachean Ethics is identical to Book VI of the Eudemian Ethics; for unknown reasons, the editor of the former decided to include within it both the treatment of pleasure that is unique to that work (X.1–5) and the study that is common to both treatises (VII.11–14). The two accounts are broadly similar. They agree about the value of pleasure, defend a theory about its nature, and oppose competing theories. Aristotle holds that a happy life must include pleasure, and he therefore opposes those who argue that pleasure is by its nature bad. He insists that there are other pleasures besides those of the senses, and that the best pleasures are the ones experienced by virtuous people who have sufficient resources for excellent activity.

Why do we study ethics?

We study ethics in order to improve our lives , and therefore its principal concern is the nature of human well-being. Aristotle follows Socrates and Plato in taking the virtues to be central to a well-lived life.

What is Aristotle's ethical theory?

Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle conceives of ethical theory as a field distinct from the theoretical sciences. Its methodology must match its subject matter—good action—and must respect the fact that in this field many generalizations hold only for the most part.

What are the two ethics that Aristotle wrote?

Aristotle wrote two ethical treatises: the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics. He does not himself use either of these titles, although in the Politics (1295a36) he refers back to one of them—probably the Eudemian Ethics —as “ ta êthika ”—his writings about character. The words “ Eudemian ” and “ Nicomachean ” were added later, perhaps because the former was edited by his friend, Eudemus, and the latter by his son, Nicomachus. In any case, these two works cover more or less the same ground: they begin with a discussion of eudaimonia (“happiness”, “flourishing”), and turn to an examination of the nature of aretê (“virtue”, “excellence”) and the character traits that human beings need in order to live life at its best. Both treatises examine the conditions in which praise or blame are appropriate, and the nature of pleasure and friendship; near the end of each work, we find a brief discussion of the proper relationship between human beings and the divine.

What is Aristotle's project?

Aristotle's project seems, at least on the surface, to be quite different. He does not appear to be addressing someone who has genuine doubts about the value of justice or kindred qualities. Perhaps, then, he realizes how little can be accomplished, in the study of ethics, to provide it with a rational foundation.

What does Aristotle say about the mean need supplementation?

In every practical discipline, the expert aims at a mark and uses right reason to avoid the twin extremes of excess and deficiency. But what is this right reason, and by what standard ( horos) is it to be determined? Aristotle says that unless we answer that question, we will be none the wiser—just as a student of medicine will have failed to master his subject if he can only say that the right medicines to administer are the ones that are prescribed by medical expertise, but has no standard other than this (1138b18–34).