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Aristotle's Virtue Ethics and Eudaimonia
Sep 20, 2024
Aristotle's Philosophy of Virtuous Character and Eudaimonia
Introduction to Aristotle
One of the most influential philosophers.
Lived between 384-322 BCE.
Student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great.
Established a library in the Lyceum.
Produced over 200 treatises, with 31 surviving.
Explored disciplines such as logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, ethics, and political theory.
Key Concepts
Eudaimonia
Translated as happiness, flourishing, or living well.
Achieved through developing a virtuous character and living to one's highest human capacity.
Virtues
Dispositions to choose good actions and passions, informed by moral knowledge.
Intellectual Virtues
: Learned by instruction (e.g., scientific knowledge, practical wisdom).
Moral Virtues
: Developed by habits (e.g., courage, temperance).
Virtues are the means between two extremes (deficiency and excess).
Developing Virtuous Character
1. Adopt a Virtuous Mindset
Virtue and vice are in our power to choose.
Intellectual virtues involve thinking virtuously; moral virtues involve acting virtuously.
Examples of moral virtues include courage (mean between cowardice and rashness).
2. Practice Practical Wisdom (Phronesis)
Virtue helps aim at the right end; practical wisdom helps take the right means.
Practical wisdom involves making judgments to find the mean between extremes.
Requires experience and social interaction (application of virtues in real-life situations).
Direct practice involves mindfulness; indirect practice involves reflection.
3. Contemplate and Reflect
Contemplation is the highest form of eudaimonia.
Reflection involves serious thought, influencing experiential learning.
Philosophical contemplation is a virtue associated with godly life.
Practicing mindfulness and reflection aids in living an examined life.
Applying Aristotle's Teachings
Mindfulness
: Daily practice and reflection.
Contemplation
: Set time for quiet meditation and evaluation of daily actions.
Conclusion
Aristotle's connection between virtuous character and living well remains relevant today.
Three main concepts: adopting a virtuous mindset, practicing phronesis, and engaging in contemplation.
Aim for habitual practice of virtues to live eudaimoniously.
Summary
Virtuous character leads to a flourishing life.
Combining mindset, wisdom, and reflection is essential for developing virtue.
The process of embedding virtues into daily actions is key to achieving eudaimonia.
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