Philosophy

Questions:

Guidance

As the title suggests, the task consists of constructing a bibliography on a particular topic. You are expected to list at least 4 items in your bibliography, to distinguish between primary and secondary texts and to present briefly why the texts you have listed are useful in a discussion of the selected topic. Altogether, the work must be of about 500 words.

You can search for texts by using the library catalogue, the Philosopher’s Index or simply by reading a relevant text of secondary literature, which makes reference to further relevant texts.
NB: For this task, texts which are only published on the Internet and are not available as part of a journal or published book are not appropriate items in your bibliography.

What to do?
A. Select a topic from the following list:
1. Aristotle on the nature of ethics
2. Aristotle on emotions
3. Aristotle on the Doctrine of the Mean
4. Aristotle on the vulnerability of moral life
5. Aristotle on the nature of moral goodness
6. Aristotle and Kant on moral goodness
7. Aristotle and Kant on moral motivation

B. Identify the relevant texts:

*Which part/s of the primary text (Nicomachean Ethics) is/are relevant for the chosen topic?
*Are there any other primary texts which are relevant (does Aristotle discuss the topic in some other work?)?
*Which part/s of the recommended secondary text (Hughes’s Aristotle on Ethics) is/are useful for the topic?
*Identify further texts which might be relevant and double-check their usefulness for the topic

1. Prepare your Bibliography: this should include:

   The topic;
   *A section with the primary text/s;
   *A section with the secondary texts;
   *Corresponding to each item in the bibliography, a few sentences on why these texts are useful;
   *For the additional texts (that is, for secondary texts in addition to the one recommended [Hughes’s Aristotle on Ethics]), you will need to provide a short description of what the text is about and how it is linked with the topic (helpful here would be to consult the text’s abstract).

 Answers:

Out of many studies done by Aristotle, the most significant study is on the Nicomachean ethics which is the study of personal morality and the ends of life of humans. These were written approximately 2000 years ago but still they provide many valuable insights to the needs of the humans. These ethics focuses on the role of habit in conduct. It is thought that virtues can be taken as habits and a good life is a life of mindless routine. Aristotle took or perceived ethics as the theoretical study i.e. one always aims to become good and always tries to do well.

The word hexis is used by Aristotle in order to denote the moral virtue. The virtue is evident in the action. The concept of the mean by Aristotle is usually misunderstood. The primary text Nicomachean ethics, Aristotle repeatedly claims that virtue is mean. This mean is always the state of clearing up and anxiety in the mid of pleasures and the excruciation which allows people to judge what is pleasant and what is painful. This state of soul which is considered to be active state, in this state the power of the soul is always at work in concert. In order to achieve good character is a procedure of clearing away the issues and problems which stand in the path of the full worth of the soul (Kucukuysal & Beyhan, 2011).

Aristotle’s work taught that in order to achieve a virtuous and probably happy spirit, it will require the first stage of having the luck to be habituated not intentionally but with the help of the teachers and some good experiences (Kakkori & Huttunen, 2007). This leads to the later stage in which a person very consciously chooses to do best things. When the people will start living their life in this way, their phronesis i.e. wisdom which is practical and their nous i.e. intellect can easily develop and grow with each other and everyone to the highest possible human virtue, the wisdom of the talented tentative thinker or as a philosopher (Oskvig, 2013).

Hughes’s research and claims are also almost the same as the Aristotle’s ethical theory. Hughes uses the term catch all grates. Hughes claims that Aristotle’s argument have some patterns which are recognizable which are related to moral thinking and it is in contrast to Mill’s and Kant’s theories. Yet Aristotle’s project is for the development of the thoughts of humans as to how they lead their lives. For leading a good life the primary goal of a person should be a philosopher’s treatment of ethics. While discussing the phronesis, Hugh says this informs the human as to what is to be done in view of living one’s life as complete and this use is something that comes closer to the use of morals. Hence, this concludes that Hughes had something more and something less about the theory of ethics by Aristotle (King, 2002).

In the end discussion, Hughes argues that Aristotle could be seen as a representative of the major conventional of western thought.

Kakkori, L. & Huttunen, R., 2007. Aristotle and Pedagogical Ethics. Paideusi, 16, pp.17-28.

King, R.A.H., 2002. G. J. Hughes: Aristotle on Ethics. The Classical Review, 52(2), pp.372-73.

Kucukuysal, B. & Beyhan, E., 2011. Virtue ethics in Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics. International Journal of Human Sciences, 8(2).

Oskvig, K., 2013. Harder, Faster, Stronger – Better: Aristotle’s Ethics and Physical Human Enhancement. journal of Evolution and Technology, 23(1), pp.19-30.

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