aristotles ethics

1-the highest good and the end towards which all human activity is directed is happiness which can be defined as continuous contemplation of eternal and universal truth.
2-one obtains happiness by a virtuous life and the development of reason and the faculty of theoretical wisdom.for this one requires sufficient external goods to ensure health’ leisure and the opportunity for virtuous action.
3-moral virtue is a relative means between extremes of excess and deficiency and in general the moral life is one of moderation in all things except virtue.no human appetite or desire is bad if it is controlled by reason according to a moral principle.moral virtue is aquired by a combination of knowledge,habituation and self discipline
4-virtuous actions require concious choice and moral purpose or motivation.man has personal moral responsibility for his actions.
5-moral virtue cannot be achieved abstractly it requires moral action in a social enviroment.ethics and politics are closely related for politics is the science of creating a society in which men can live the good life and develop their full potential.

Isn’t it amazing! Weren’t THEY amazing – Socrates, Plato and Aristotle – not to mention so many of the other great philosophers! I have a set of audiobooks, actually more that one set of audiobooks on philosophy. I’ve listened to a lot of them, but not all yet – I’m working on it – made my way through a lot, but still a ways to go. Philosophy is soooooo important! It really makes you think and figure out what you believe. So many people simply have no clue what they really believe or even what they kind of believe. I’d love more great info on here about philosophy. I swear, you can read The Republic and be amazed at how relevant the stuff is to today. I haven’t gotten to the 20th century stuff yet in my ‘quest’, but it has been a wonderful road so far. Many people, I think, don’t realize how important the ideas expressed so well by many of these thinkers would move us toward solving many of the world’s problems.

You know something else that I wish more people would spend some time on is comparing Keynesian economics and Austrian economics. I saw just the other day a list of the “greatest” and Keynes was on it as one of the greatest economists of all time. Don’t get me wrong, Keynes was brilliant, he just also happened to be wrong on a LOT of important stuff. I don’t know why I got off on that tangent, but thanks for posting this.

i so agree.its amazing to think some of this stuff was written 2000 years ago.yet offers so many valuable insights.i do seem to find myself looking futher into the past for answers to todays questions.blessings mara

Mara,most definitely past greats assisted with our powerful foundation of reason…assisting in some form… the continuum of thought being processed today which contain something somewhere from the past. Loving blessings to you(:

All is a quote from this link-Aristotle Ethics

On Friendships

In a particularly influential section of the Ethics, Aristotle considered the role of human relationships in general and friendship {Gk. filia [philia]} in particular as a vital element in the good life.

For without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.Differentiating between the aims or goals of each, he distinguished three kinds of friendships that we commonly form. (Nic. Ethics VIII 3)

• A friendship for pleasure comes into being when two people discover that they have common interest in an activity which they can pursue together. Their reciprocal participation in that activity results in greater pleasure for each than either could achieve by acting alone. Thus, for example, two people who enjoy playing tennis might derive pleasure from playing each other. Such a relationship lasts only so long as the pleasure continues.

• A friendship grounded on utility, on the other hand, comes into being when two people can benefit in some way by engaging in coordinated activity. In this case, the focus is on what use the two can derive from each other, rather than on any enjoyment they might have. Thus, for example, one person might teach another to play tennis for a fee: the one benefits by learning and the other benefits financially; their relationship is based solely on the mutual utility. A relationship of this sort lasts only so long as its utility.

• A friendship for the good, however, comes into being when two people engage in common activities solely for the sake of developing the overall goodness of the other. Here, neither pleasure nor utility are relevant, but the good is. (Nic. Ethics VIII 4) Thus, for example, two people with heart disease might play tennis with each other for the sake of the exercise that contributes to the overall health of both. Since the good is never wholly realized, a friendship of this sort should, in principle, last forever.

Rather conservatively representing his own culture, Aristotle expressed some rather peculiar notions about the likelihood of forming friendships of these distinct varieties among people of different ages and genders. But the general description has some value nevertheless, especially in its focus on reciprocity. Mixed friendships—those in which one party is seeking one payoff while the other seeks a different one—are inherently unstable and prone to dissatisfaction.

Ethics & Virtue

a true friend is one soul in two bodies…aristotle

In response to mara’s post:
I am going to have to snag that one for my next anniversary(:

Excellent post Selfcare!

there is so much we can learn from these great minds.
karl marx.
the philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways.the point however is to change it.
david hume.
where men are the most sure and arrogant.they are commonly the most mistaken.
ludwig wittgenstein.
i dont know why we are here.im pretty sure it is not to enjoy ourselves,
friedrich nietzsche.
the man of knowledge must be able to not only love his enemies but also to hate his friends.
plato.
wise men talk because they have something to say,fools because they have to say something.
immanual kant.
only the descent into the hell of self knowledge can pave the way to godliness.
thomas aquinas.
the most hopeful people in the world are the young and the drunk.the first because they have little experience of failure the secound because they have succeded in drowning theirs.
socrates.
the unexamined life is not worth living.
karl popper.
philosophers should consider the fact that the greatest happiness principle can easily be made an excuse for a benevolent dictatorship.
aristotle.
i count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemy.for the hardest victory is over self.

“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” Aristotle

TRY VIEWING EVERYONE THAT COMES INTO YOUR LIFE AS A TEACHER”... WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF ME IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS” SOMETIMES THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED IS LESS TRAVELLED FOR A REASON” J SIENFELD ..... IT,S NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE A HAPPY CHILDHOOD”.UNKNOWN ...... A REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN SOME SORT OF EQUANIMITY ON THIS PLANET IS TOLERANCE.” UNKNOWN