In this essay‚ with all the information I have gathered from the readings and lectures‚ I will be discussing an essential concept of Aristotle’s virtue ethics; his “doctrine of the mean”. I will provide a detailed explanation of Aristotle’s mean‚ how it is meant to be applied when making decisions‚ provide arguments from various sources that agree with the main concept of the “doctrine of the mean” and with all of the information gathered‚ I will prove that this doctrine is extremely useful to people
Premium Ethics Morality Virtue
Virtue ethics was systematized by Aristotle during the 4th century BC. In his writing‚ Nichomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle outlined three terms to describe his ideology. The first of these three terms is eudaimonia. This means happiness‚ “good spirit‚” or flourishing. In Aristotle’s eyes‚ eudaimonia is the state to achieve to realize ones full potential. The second term‚ telos‚ is the end‚ purpose‚ aim‚ or goal that one should be trying to achieve. One can only achieve eudaimonia by fulfilling their telos
Premium Plato Ethics Aristotle
Shakespeare’s time and even far before in Ancient Greece. In the Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle said that‚ “Without friends‚ no one would want to live‚ even if he had all other goods.” He obviously believed that the love that comes from friendship‚ or philia‚ was the most important thing the someone could hope to obtain. Philia is a consistent theme that shows up in many Greek texts‚ including Aristotle’s
Premium Friendship Interpersonal relationship Virtue
Utilitarianism and Aristotelian Ethics John Stuart Mill and Aristotle are two of the most notable philosophers in history to date. Between Mill’s Utilitarianism and Aristotle’s virtue ethics you can see a large portion our cultures ethics today. Their philosophies are apparent in contemporary everyday life. Aristotle has written several pieces on virtue and friendship. The two most notable works being the Magna Moralia and the Eudemian Ethics. However‚ his Nicomachean Ethics were by far the most notable
Premium Nicomachean Ethics Virtue Ethics
consequences and flaws in all of humanity‚ and understand that the choices and morals that we all have can differ tremendously. This is the case of Philippe Kahn‚ and the sprout of his software business with Byte magazine. Furthermore‚ in the Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle conjectures that the highest human good may result in ultimate happiness. Though we may wonder if it is possible for both of the people in this case to be happy‚ we can reflect that when we all aim at happiness‚ it is ultimately
Premium Lie Deception English-language films
In the book Nichomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle summarizes how ethics can be used to determine the best way for an individual to achieve happiness. After reading the text‚ there were a couple of themes that stood out the most to me. Happiness is a choice and with this happiness‚ friends are needed most of all. In Book I‚ Aristotle mentions that happiness is an end goal and “one day‚ or a short time‚ does not make a man blessed and happy”. In agreement with this statement‚ happiness is something that takes
Premium Ethics Virtue Nicomachean Ethics
imperturbability as opposed to excess‚ and arguably Aristotle and Lucretius‚ despite their many differences‚ do not detach themselves from this current of thought; drawing on this‚ it is possible to outline briefly what crucial elements their respective ethics have in common. Although De Rerum Natura appears to be a didactic poem dealing primarily with the Epicurean atomistic theory and other proto-scientific investigations of reality‚ Lucretius clearly and repeatedly calls our attention to the ethical
Premium Aristotle Reason Nicomachean Ethics
Plato and Aristotle Plato and Aristotle were two philosophers who made an impact on philosophy as we know it as today. Plato is thought of as the first political philosopher and Aristotle as the first metaphysical philosopher. They were both great intellectuals in regards to being the first of the great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to better life by improving the societies in which they were part of during their lives. The views of Plato and Aristotle look different
Premium Virtue Aristotle Human
In the Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle explains that there are three types of friendship present in human nature. The first friendship is based on utility‚ which are those that do not love each other for their personal traits but rather only wish to derive some benefit from each other. Aristotle explains that the elderly most frequently engage in friendships based on utility (Book VII‚ 115a‚ 25-30). The second friendship is a friendship of pleasure‚ where both people are drawn towards the other’s
Premium Friendship Interpersonal relationship Virtue
More than Meets the Eye In his novel‚ Eye for an Eye‚ William Miller traces the origins of justice in talionic societies. In order to explain how these talionic societies began to use currency‚ Miller cites Aristotle’s philosophical novel‚ Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle believes that currency comes out of a need and that need keeps society together‚ while Miller believes that the types of currency evolved to fit the changing requirements of society. Miller traces the evolution of currency in talionic
Premium Argument Human body Society