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Page 1: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

Aristotle’s Ethics

Page 2: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

Aristotle Lived from 384-322 BCE

One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece Student of Plato Tutor to Alexander the Great

Founded his own school, the lyceum, where he contributed to nearly every field of human knowledge

Page 3: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

Ethical Approach

Aristotle use a scientific or empirical approach to ethical problems On most topics, he was a rationalist

Common sense considers the “good” life to be one that is HAPPY. What is the “good life” for Aristotle?

HAPPINESS!

Happiness is not the end though; it’s a way of doing things

Page 4: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

Classical Questions and Aristotle’s Answers

What is the good life for people? The good life is a life of happiness

How ought people behave? People ought to believe so as to achieve

happiness

Page 5: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

What does it MEAN!?

There are various ways of living for different people What is good for one person may not be for another One cannot tell prior to actual experimentation, by reason

alone, which is the correct way of living for someone

The proper way for one to behave in the moral sense is in accordance with the mean Virtuous moderation is the goal

In order to achieve happiness, people must act moderately They must strive for the mean between two extremes

Page 6: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

Doctrine of the Mean

Where excess and deficiency are both vices, the mean is the virtue

Example: Money Excess (vice): Extravagant and wasteful Deficiency (vice): Stingy VIRTUE (MEAN): Generous

Page 7: Aristotle’s Ethics. Aristotle  Lived from 384-322 BCE  One of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece  Student of Plato  Tutor to Alexander the

Philosophy Question of the Day!!!

Character Traits = Traits that define you as an individual Examples: Honest, Trustworthy, Smart,

Selfish, etc…

If you could create a society, what character traits would you want that society to value? Pick 5 Character Traits that

would be the most valuable to a society and explain why

(what would be ideal?) What character traits do we

actually value here in the United States? Are they the same?


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