Aristotle and the humanities - Research Paper Example

? Aristotle and the Humanities The Greek philosopher Aristotle made contributions to the humanities through his ideas about art, as well as philosophy, specifically through his ideas regarding ethics and politics. When it came to art, Aristotle’s Poetics was an answer to Plato’s accusation against the artists for their alleged destruction of rational harmony, as stated in the Republic (Wolff 64). In the field of ethics, Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics provided the basis for showing how to live one’s life in the virtuous way and helped people of his times decide on which things were more important in their lives and what they could do to make them better. Lastly, it is a fact that ancient Greece during Aristotle’s time was a period of confusion – a time of war among city-states who fought for territorial expansion, a time for poverty and slavery, and a time when the nobility never shared their power with their constituents (“Explore Greece”). In order to address the current situation and the pressing need for “order, security and peace” amidst “the turmoil and disaster that had come out of Athenian democracy” (Durant 80), Aristotle wrote his Politics. Aristotle is relevant to the humanities because his works helped address the aesthetic, ethical and political dilemmas surrounding the Greek society in the 4th century BC, and helped shaped the thinking of the Greeks during his time as well as that of the world at present. Aesthetics: Poetics Aristotle’s rationale as to aesthetics is that “art takes us closer to essential form, not farther away” (Wolff 65). He means here that through the study of art and through the study of the works of man, man himself is able to learn a great deal not only about himself but also about his essence. Wolff’s statement further implies that people who observe art, according to Aristotle, may just be observing certain specific things but through which, they can “grasp the real nature of things.” (65) The Poetics also tells the reader about Aristotle’s theory of catharsis, which means that “art has a psychologically healthy effect on the spectator” (64). According to Wolff, this statement implies that art is an effective means of self-expression and one which brings not only wisdom but also release (64). However, these principles contradict those of Plato. In the Republic, Plato criticizes art as something that destroys the rational capacity of man and something that leads him away from the world of forms, which, according to Plato was the real world (64). However, Aristotle maintains that not only does art promote a healthy psychological make-up but that it also leads one to a realization of his essence. These teachings of Aristotle has remained helpful not only to the Greeks of his time but even to the world at present, thus Aristotle’s relevance to the humanities. Ethics: The Nichomachean Ethics Aristotle’s contributions to aesthetics cannot, however, equal those he gave ethics. It is a fact that the ideas of right and wrong, of good and evil, and of morality itself can never be derived from scientific inquiry but only through the humanities, specifically through ethics. Aristotle’s glorious masterpiece on ethics, the Nichomachean Ethics, has provided people the guidelines on how to live a virtuous life since the time of 4th century BC Greece until now. In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle makes it clear that “the good for man is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue [or] the best and most perfect [virtue]” (Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, I.7). This virtue, or moral virtue, that Aristotle has ascribed most of his ethical principles on is “the submission of one’s feelings and outward acts to reason (Kilcullen) since “man, in the Aristotelian system, is a rational animal” (Durant 59). The key words therefore are “rational” and “reason” and it follows that one who abides by the dictates of his reason is one is who is virtuous. This simply means that if one does something without logic or reason, he cannot remain virtuous. Yet, even a criminal has his own reasons for committing a crime. Thus, for the purpose of exactness, Aristotle further defines virtue not only as something based on reason but something that is “lying in a mean that is relative to us and determined by a rational principle.” (Aristotle, II.6) If virtue must lie within a mean, then it has to be between two extremes or two vices. This is the basis for Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean, which is habitual moderation, or “habitual avoidance of extreme modes of conduct (Sahakian & Sahakian 35). While extremes are “always evil,” virtues remain good such as courage, which is a virtue between the two extremes of cowardice and foolhardiness (36). Another example of a virtue is temperance, which is between insensibility and licentiousness. (36) According to Aristotle, the natural consequence of applying the Doctrine of the Mean is happiness, which he termed as “eudemonia.” Eudaimonia means “happiness, the success of life’s activities, prosperity and the act of thriving” (Lotito). In short, this word is a broad notion or definition of the word “happiness” and one which encompasses all aspects of being happy. Nevertheless, apart from happiness, the Nichomachean Ethics teaches people many other things about how to live their lives in a virtuous way. Another teaching of the Ethics is that despite the abstract idea of eudemonia or happiness, “it needs the external goods as well; for it is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without the proper equipment” (Aristotle I.8). This is one of Aristotelian ethics’ most practical teachings and from this, Aristotle teaches that material resources are necessary to carry out one’s tasks in life in order to be happy. However, the philosopher maintains that “the goal of human existence [must be directed towards activities] desirable for their own sake and not merely on account of their results” (Kilcullen). Therefore, it is not exactly materialism that Aristotle points out as the way to happiness but simply, faithfulness to the goal. Moreover, in order to achieve a goal, Aristotle teaches that contemplation is necessary for “contemplation is both the highest form of activity and the highest form in us” (Aristotle, X.7). Introspection, therefore, more than the quest for happiness, must rule the human mind. This means that it is contemplation alone that can shed light upon the many things in life that can never be answered by science or even by the humanities. Politics: Politics Aristotelian ethics became the basis for his political principles (Durant 80). The significance of Aristotle’s Politics in the field of humanities is based on the idea that this particular masterpiece of his has taught not only the Greeks but also the present world practical lessons in how to handle and manage governments. According to the Politics, “the habit of lightly changing the laws is an evil” (80). Aristotle’s rationale behind this prohibition is the cultivation of disobedience among the citizens. The law will not anymore be respected if it is always changed every time someone needs to adjust it according to his own needs. Aristotle argued on the basis of “experience of the ages” (80), which means that laws that have withstood the test of time must remain and must not be amended. This conservatism of Aristotle further extends to his idea that “human nature, the human average, is nearer to the best than to the god” (81) and must therefore be ruled by a master (82), for “when perfected, man is the best of all animals but when isolated, he is the worst of all” (85). Thus, for Aristotle, people are not equal at all and that certain people are fit to rule and others are fit to be ruled, and that as long as we do not recognize this fact, governments will always fail. This is the basis of Aristotle’s idea of a severely aristocratic form of government (81). Aristotle never stated that he was in favor of the democratic form of government in Greece, which was always in turmoil and war at that time. (“Explore Greece”) Conclusion Aristotle is relevant to the humanities because of his three great works: the Poetics, the Nichomachean Ethics, and the Politics. The Poetics addressed the issues on the importance of art as a form of self-expression and a way to discover one’s true essence. The Nichomachean Ethics, on the other hand, teaches the ways to live a virtuous life in order to attain happiness. Lastly, the Politics served as a basis for the management of governments, and addressed the weaknesses of the democratic form of government vis-a-vis the strengths of an aristocratic one. These works and have somehow reflected the problem of the Greeks in the 4th century BC – political turmoil which affected their individual happiness and freedom – and that these works served as Aristotle’s solution. Although there is no accurate account of whether these works have indeed helped the Greeks, these three masterpieces of Aristotle have influenced daily life of the Greeks as well as people at present. Furthermore, the Poetics, the Nichomachean Ethics, and the Politics reflect not only Aristotle’s intelligence and wisdom but his motives to somehow help his people stay happy in the most trying times and to shed light upon their most pressing problems. Top of Form Bottom of Form Works Cited Aristotle. Nichomachean Ethics. The Internet Classic Archive, 2009. Web. 1 Mar 2011. Durant, Will. The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World’s Greatest Philosophers from Plato to John Dewey. New York: Washington Square Press, 1961. Print. Explore Greece/History.” Greece. Hellenic Adventures, 2003. Web. 28 Feb 2011. Kilcullen, R. J. “Aristotle’s Ethics.” Introduction to Political Theory. Macquarie University, 1996. Web. 2 Mar 2011. Lotito, Christopher. “Aristotle and the Doctrine of the Mean.” Archives. Drew University, 2002. Web. 1 Mar 2011. Sahakian, William S. and Sahakian, Mabel Lewis. Ideas of the Great Philosophers. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1966. Print. Wolff, Robert Paul. Ten Great Works of Philosophy. New York: Mentor, 1969. Print. Read More