Aristotle
By: Kirolos, Connor, Jacob, Jack
Aristotle was a great Greek philosopher. Along with his teacher Plato, he is considered the "Father of Western Philosophy," and in his time he was a scholar in many subjects. He was also the founder of the Lyceum, where he spread many of his ideas. He tutored Alexander the Great, wrote many books, came up with many theories about the idea of life, and much more. In this presentation we are going to focus on only three of Aristotle's works. First "Nicomachean Ethics," which isn't necessarily a book he wrote, but a collection of notes from Aristotle's lectures on various topics. Next, "Substance Theory," which was essentially a scientific attempt at breaking the universe down and figuring out what the fundamental units are, among other questions. Lastly, we will be talking about the "Four Causes," which was an explanation of how/why change occurs in our daily lives.
Quiz Questions:
- Who was Aristotle’s teacher and who did he teach?
- What was Aristotle’s school called?
- Name one of Aristotle's theories, philosophies, or books.
Discussion questions:
- Aristotle believes that the highest form of happiness comes in a life of intellectual contemplation. Since reason is what separates humanity from animals, he clearly think it is the most important virtue. Do you agree?
- For Aristotle, social life in a community is a necessary condition for a man's complete flourishing as a human being. Are social interactions really necessary for a healthy lifestyle?
- Many regard Aristotle as being one of the smartest men ever alive. Would you agree or disagree?
I have to agree with Aristotle on the point of intellectual contemplation being the most important virtue. First of all, one definition of virtue is, “a good or useful quality of a thing.” Intellectual contemplation is definitely useful, and in my opinion a great thing. Without this virtue I’m not sure we would be capable of applying the other virtues on our daily lives. It all starts with contemplation, because we must first ask ourselves, what is virtuous?
ReplyDeleteConcerning the statement that, "Aristotle as being one of the smartest men ever alive." I would have to disagree and say that although I don't see him as the smartest I am willing to say that he is one of the wisest philosophers to have lived.
Delete