Essays on Aristotle

Aristotle doctrine about living well begin with a good point of ends and means. Life doesn’t mean- the car is my end or goal. There is more an ultimate end, goal or purpose for human life. We as a human in life, everyone tries to...

Ancient Greece was arguably one of the greatest civilizations of all time. Beginning in the 8th century BC and ending around 146 BC, this era introduced some of the greatest innovations in literature, technology, and philosophy. But with such a large civilization came many conflicts...

Plato and Aristotle both reject the moral relativism of the sophists and address the question of how man can achieve absolute virtue. In The Republic, Plato constructs an existence proof, a kallipolis that produces philosopher-kings who grasp the eternal Good and rule benevolently. Aristotle discusses...

Aristotle breaks down the plot of the tragedy into three parts, reversal, recognition and catharsis. Shakespeare includes all three components of plot in his play, Henry IV Part I. He establishes a tragic hero, Harry Percy, and allows him to rise to power and influence. Then...

What is the best regime? Building from his discussion of happiness, virtue, and the good life in Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle answers this question elaborately in his later text, The Politics. In his elaboration, Aristotle investigates numerous regimes, looking particularly at what claims bring them about...

Aristotle dedicates the first book of Politics to discuss households, and argues that to study the larger political community of a city-state, we need to first examine households as its building blocks (Politics, 5). The three major household relations Aristotle defines in Politics are master-slave,...

In “The Politics” Aristotle made an explicit rationale for subordination. He suggested that some human beings may possess an innate fitness for either slavery or rule, and that those who are enslaved deserve to be so entirely because they have been dominated by a stronger...

Aristotle notes two political communities that are ‘less’ than the polis: the household and the village. Of these two communities, the household receives far more discussion and is the foundation of much of Aristotle’s political theory. The origins of the household are found in the...

Note: The copy of Politics used for this paper is not the standard copy. I have tried to be as specific about passages as possible. Aristotle and Machiavelli both extol the judgement of the masses on political affairs. Aristotle states that the “many…may surpass –...

Aristotle’s reasoning as to why he believed the Greek polis to be superior to other forms of associations can be found in Book 1.2 of his teachings in Politics. It contains an analysis of the individual components which make up a polis, the household and...

The Alfarabi and Averroes texts take unique approaches to topics discussed by Aristotle in Politics and by Plato in his Republic. It is important to understand these approaches in relation to each other because it is the similarities and differences between all four texts that...

The leadership of the Leviathan, or, the ‘mortal god’, is a central theme in Thomas Hobbes’ theoretical masterpiece, The Leviathan. Literally, the word Leviathan comes from the Hebrew word livyathan, which etymologically denotes “to wind, turn, twist”[1]. In biblical tradition, it refers to the “dragon,...

Not all are equal in Plato’s Republic or Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics and Politics. Plato and Aristotle argue that people possess a certain natural ability that determines their role in society. The fundamental character of one’s soul, in part, determines this natural ability. As not all...

The rationale of the Dalai Lama has been a concept passed down from many generations. Being a line of reincarnations, very rarely have the morals deviated from the original Dalai Lama. Said to embody compassion, the Dalai Lama defined his duty to serve humanity. In...

Consider the following list: justice, citizenship, law, happiness (or another goal of human existence). Which of these four is the most important foundation for a political existence, a civilized life? Defend your position by a close analysis of Herodotus and Aristotle. One potential answer is...

The Major of Casterbridge Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece. His analysis of the ideal form of tragic plays has become a guideline for later playwrights in Western Civilization. The most important element of Aristotelian tragedy is the experience of catharsis...

Aristotle and the Philosophy of Logic Among the first of the great philosophers to study the philosophy of logic was Aristotle. Aristotle used logic as a way to discover meaning, through his work he developed a system of logic that when followed would lead an...

For most people today, being a good person simply means following a set of commonly agreed upon moral guidelines. However, those guidelines have increasingly been getting blurred and convoluted from culture to culture and generation to generation. The question remains whether the definition of morality...

How can you classify forms according to Plato? According to Plato’s Theory of Forms, the physical world isn’t necessarily the real world, rather reality exists beyond the physical world. There are two realms; the physical realm and the Realm of Forms. The physical realm consists...

Aristotle’s favorite tragedy was Oedipus the King by Sophocles. The play begins with the Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. Upon the birth of their son, Oedipus, an oracle proclaims that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Petrified the...

Aristotle defines courage as the mean between cowardice and rashness. (Aristotle,49) On one end stands the ultimately fearful man who, for example, allows others take advantage of him or flees the country in the face of being drafted into a war. On the other hand...

Aristotle’s Virtues in Moderation and how Machiavelli Continues Them Aristotle was a greek philosopher who lived approximately 2400 years ago. He is considered one of the great philosophers from his time, and he is still widely known and highly regarded today. During his lifetime, he...

Apollo is the god of many things, mainly music and medicine. He is believed to come from the northern invaders of Greece who viewed him as either the sun god or as the Good Sheppard. Ville Valo is a Finnish musician that has a huge...

Happiness It is safe to say that happiness is probably one of the most goals people from all around the globe pursue to achieve. The concept of happiness, for each individual, is not the same. Even though happiness is a universal goal, each individual has...

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle presents a theory of moral responsibility that involves actions and character acquisition. He examines when and how individuals are responsible, and provides an objection to when people are never responsible for what they do. I first describe the concepts of moral...

Happiness is a world that is often characterized as subjective and or synonymous with success which too can be just as personal as the word happiness. However, Aristotle would describe happiness with an activity. An activity that pushes us toward a state of Eudaimonia. So,...

There are many characters in the television show SpongeBob SquarePants. These characters share many traits, but also have their share of differences. Eugene Krabs and Squidward Tentacles are a great example. Mr. Krabs is the owner of the successful fast-food restaurant, the Krusty Krab, where...

For centuries, great philosophers have pondered on what it means to be good. Perhaps two of the most influential philosophers of this query were Plato and Aristotle. While their philosophies are largely different, they both define the “good life.” When we compare these men, we...

Metaphysics is generally thought of to be the study or profound consideration of what is truly real and exists in life. Thought history many great thinkers have explored this concept and attempted to describe, define, and exemplify their deeply held beliefs about the realities of...

In “A New Look at the Prime Mover”, Bradshaw argues that Aristotle’s immovable, immaterial, and necessary mover is not only a final cause but also an efficient cause. He proposes to demonstrate this by applying a particular interpretation of divine thought as a key to...