PP110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Nicomachean Ethics, Intellectual Virtue, Magnanimity
Document Summary
Aristotle: ancient greek from 284-322 b. c. e, student of plato. Intrinsically valuable to be virtuous: nichomachean ethics (10 books) Strength-centred ethics (aretaic ethics: plato had no system of being just does(cid:374)"t tell us (cid:449)hat to do (cid:449)he(cid:374) fa(cid:272)ed (cid:449)ith a(cid:374) ethi(cid:272)al dilemma. Teleology the explanation of phenomena by the purpose they serve (rather than by their causes: the design and purpose in the material world. The good and the well is thought to reside in the function, so it seem to be for man, if he has function. Aristotle then asks what is the good of human beings: the good of a hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) (cid:271)ei(cid:374)g is reaso(cid:374), a(cid:374)d it"s a good (cid:894)(cid:448)irtuous(cid:895) hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) (cid:271)ei(cid:374)g if it reasons well! Humans are rational animals (common definition of humans in ancient greece) Telos of human beings: what is the proper end of the human being, aimed at the perfect happiness = the perfect activity.
