What Does Aristotle: What Does Aristotle Mean By Good?
I found the idea of ‘good’ in Book 1 to be particularly interesting. Aristotle begins Politics by defining that a state is defined by its “view to some good” (1252a1). He later goes on to define that the state exists “for the sake of a good life” after its citizens have met their bare necessities.
What does Aristotle mean by ‘good’? Does it mean happiness? Stability? I found this idea particularly intriguing because Aristotle points out that this goodness is best achieved collectively rather than individually. Is this possible? As Aristotle himself points out, people typically act in their own self-interest “in order to obtain that which they think good”. (1252a3) If the state aims at the “highest good” (1252a6), does this necessarily benefit
every citizen? If so, do they benefit equally? Aristotle’s idea of collective striving towards ‘good’ also appears opposed to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which I interpreted as an individual struggle towards ‘good’ and enlightenment.
Aristotle uses the idea of household management as a microcosm of the state to better argue his position. From this, he describes three core relationships – the master and slave; husband and wife; and father and children. However, he also brings up the art of acquiring wealth as another element of household management, which I found more interesting because Aristotle is so preoccupied about what is ‘natural’ and the ‘proper’ purpose of things – referencing his idea of telos? – for e.g., he states that “other animals exist for the sake of man” (1256b16-17).
For Aristotle, wealth is a means to an end – to satisfy our needs and to live well (and aspiring to good I suppose?) However, mindless wealth-getting results in a hedonic lifestyle – an excess of enjoyment. This is bad because some men will go against their nature to acquire more wealth, such as using courage not to inspire confidence.
Overall, Aristotle implies that it is our nature to live in a community (a state) which will help us grow and achieve ‘good’. At the end of Book 1, he asserts that how we understand “what is good, and what is evil and how we may pursue the good and escape the evil” (1260b11-12) depends on the type of state we live in. Hence, for Aristotle, politics and ethics seem undeniably linked, and the excellences of the state will depend on the excellences of its citizens.
What does Aristotle mean by ‘good’? Does it mean happiness? Stability? I found this idea particularly intriguing because Aristotle points out that this goodness is best achieved collectively rather than individually. Is this possible? As Aristotle himself points out, people typically act in their own self-interest “in order to obtain that which they think good”. (1252a3) If the state aims at the “highest good” (1252a6), does this necessarily benefit
every citizen? If so, do they benefit equally? Aristotle’s idea of collective striving towards ‘good’ also appears opposed to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which I interpreted as an individual struggle towards ‘good’ and enlightenment.
Aristotle uses the idea of household management as a microcosm of the state to better argue his position. From this, he describes three core relationships – the master and slave; husband and wife; and father and children. However, he also brings up the art of acquiring wealth as another element of household management, which I found more interesting because Aristotle is so preoccupied about what is ‘natural’ and the ‘proper’ purpose of things – referencing his idea of telos? – for e.g., he states that “other animals exist for the sake of man” (1256b16-17).
For Aristotle, wealth is a means to an end – to satisfy our needs and to live well (and aspiring to good I suppose?) However, mindless wealth-getting results in a hedonic lifestyle – an excess of enjoyment. This is bad because some men will go against their nature to acquire more wealth, such as using courage not to inspire confidence.
Overall, Aristotle implies that it is our nature to live in a community (a state) which will help us grow and achieve ‘good’. At the end of Book 1, he asserts that how we understand “what is good, and what is evil and how we may pursue the good and escape the evil” (1260b11-12) depends on the type of state we live in. Hence, for Aristotle, politics and ethics seem undeniably linked, and the excellences of the state will depend on the excellences of its citizens.