PHILO-120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Nicomachean Ethics
28 Oct 2020
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Wrote for the general public" (intended for circulation) Part of what is a good life for a city. City as a political unit; a state. Politicians should be concerned with whether people live well. In order to know what a gov should do -> need to know what allows citizens to flourish. Ethics: the study of living better/helping others live better; guiding action. All possibilities talked about within a social context (aristotle believes that good life is not lived in isolation) Desirable only for other ends (e. g. making pasta, lifting weights, wealth) Desirable for itself and other things (e. g. honor, virtues, pleasure? power?) Pleasure can cause desirable activity (contrary to kant) Some form of power take the form of having honor. Aristotle: we do value honor for its own sake. Self-sufficient (i. e. if you have it, your life lacks nothing important) Look at a good as its prerequisites and components.
