Lecture Notes: Aristotle's Eragon Argument and the Purpose of Human Life

Introduction

Speaker: Monty Johnson, Professor at the University of California, San Diego.
Topic: Purpose of human life through Aristotle's Eragon argument.
Definition:
- Eragon: Work, job, product, or function (Greek origin).
- Arity: Excellence or virtue associated with a function.

Artifacts and Skills:
- Saw: Function is to cut, excellence is sharpness.
- House: Function is protection, excellence is stability and security.
- Architect: Function is building houses, excellence is building good houses.

Four Classes: Plants, animals, humans, and gods (focus on first three).
Capabilities:
- Plants: Growth, use energy, reproduce.
  - Flourishing: When a plant grows well and performs its capabilities.
  - Scientific basis for what is good/bad for plants.
- Animals: Growth, nutrition, reproduction. Additional capabilities include self-movement and perception.
  - Movement and perception are crucial for animal well-being.
  - Flourishing: Ability to move, sense, and have more pleasure than pain.

Humans possess plant and animal capabilities plus unique ones:
- Unique Capabilities: Reason and language.
- Engagement in higher activities: Friendships, social relations, political structures, planning, education, arts, and contemplation.

Human Eragon: Highest capabilities related to reason and language.
Human Flourishing:
- Cultivation of moral and intellectual virtues.
- Observing cosmos and our place in it.
Objective Good for Humans: Similar objectivity as seen in plants and animals.

Ultimate End: Philosophy as pure exercise of reason and thought.
Comparison with Gods: Engaging in philosophy is considered godlike.
- Philosophy is both for serving needs and for its own sake.

Engaging in philosophical thought, like this lecture, exercises highest capabilities.
Philosophy represents the ultimate purpose and flourishing of human life.