Aristotle and His Relationship At Work - Essay Example

Teacher Aristotle visits the Modern Workplace Lori hurries into the office at 8:30 am and greets her friends Mary, Anna and Rosie who are already at their desks. Janice, her direct supervisor gives her a stern look as she glances at the clock; late again. Anna has been working as the company accountant for about 7 years embezzles a small sum every month for the last three years. Rosie, like Lori, has been working as a designer for four years and has a huge workload. On occasion she takes home a ream of company paper in order to work on her own projects. Having just started, Lori spends as much time as possible with Rosie in order to "learn the ropes". Mary, her friend for many years manages the marketing campaign at the company and frequently they have lunch together. They are all "friends", but in what capacity What does Aristotle have to do with Lori and her co-workers Although centuries have gone by, his theories on how we relate to one another, how we conduct ourselves and what motivates us have stood the test of time. Aristotle, born in 384 B.C. began studying under Plato at the age of 17 and remained at his school for 20 years, in the later years as a teacher (Cliffs Notes, Author). He also had the appointment to tutor the 13 year old son of Philip of Macedonia, Alexander, who later became known as Alexander the Great. During the period of Alexander's conquests, Aristotle began his own school in Athens and it is during this time that he most of his "important writing and teaching" (Cliff Notes, Author). Aristotle's mind wrapped around many topics such as physics, biology and medicine, Last Name 2 philosophy, politics but also touched on issues on morality and ethics. The compilation of his lectures and writings in the compilation Nicomachean Ethics give extensive thought to the reasons and motivations for our behavior. Aristotle believed that "Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good" (Nicomachean Ethics Book I.1) and that the ultimate good is to achieve happiness. Happiness is sought for the sake of being happy whereas other goals such as being healthy, or rich is sought out in order to be happy. So it seems that the different activities in which we engage in life are all a small part or subset of the big goal to be happy. Friendship is one aspect of the subset. Aristotle says it "is a virtue or implies virtue, and is besides most necessary with a view to living." (Nicomachean Ethics Book VIII.1.) In the scenario at the beginning, Lori has become friends with the people with whom she works, a necessary occurrence that enables her to enjoy the time spent at the company. Developing the friendships contributes to her happiness. Aristotle puts friendship into three categories: perfect friendship or that which is based on being good, useful friendship and pleasant friendship. Lori liking Mary for the sake of Mary (and vice versa) is an example of genuine friendship. (Book VIII.3) Since the relationship is based on desiring purely what is good for the other, this type of friendship is long lasting as "goodness is an enduring thing" (Book VIII.3). However, Aristotle believes that this type of friendship does not occur frequently as not only are 'good' people a rarity, but it also takes time to cultivate. Note that perfect relationships can also be pleasant and/or useful; however, pleasant or useful friendships are not perfect and therefore, not lasting. These relationships are considered to be mutually beneficial, or what Aristotle calls equal. Lori's new friendship with Rosie is a useful friendship in that there is a benefit for her. Lori learns faster from Rosie and increases her value at the office and Rosie is able to decrease her workload to a manageable quantity -- mutually useful. If Rosie did not have a huge workload, the Last Name 3 contribution to the friendship could be a combination of utility and pleasantness or in other words, Rosie is useful to Lori and finds Lori to be "good company" to be around. Should one or the other cease to offer their usefulness, the friendship runs the risk of falling apart (Book VIII.4). In Book IX.3 of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle again suggests that friendships fail or become unequal when one of the party changes or when one realizes that the friendship was not what they originally believed; "But if one friend remained the same while the other became better and far outstripped him in virtue, should the latter treat the former as a friend Surely he cannot." In our lives, we are continually evaluating, if not consciously, but by sentiment the value of the relationships we maintain and we choose to maintain them or let them die. "People in positions of authority seem to have friends who fall into distinct classes; some people are useful to them and others are pleasant, but the same people are rarely both" (Book VIII.6). Aristotle continues with the thought that these types of people choose friends for the pleasant companionship they present, or for the fact they are good at doing what they are told. Perhaps this is particularly the case in the workplace as persons in positions of authority sometimes need the distance in order to maintain control. Heads of companies such as presidents, directors and even supervisors surround themselves with people who support their ideas, facilitate their wishes or are good to bounce off ideas, but there are few who are considered as true friends. And these friends are usually not found at the workplace. In the example, were Janice a good friend to Lori, depending on her own character, it could be a more difficult position to be in when it came to discipline her for arriving late. If Lori was just a useful or a pleasant friend to Janice, and her value as such were diminished by being tardy, it is much easier to administer discipline. Aristotle looks at justice in terms of proportion (distributing goods fairly) and equality (treating all people fairly). He says in Book V.1 that "both the lawless man and the grasping and Last Name 4 unfair man are thought to be unjust, so that evidently both the law-abiding and the fair man will be just" also meaning that justice is seen in terms of abiding by the law. This can be laws of the country, or laws in the work place. The way we conduct ourselves at work is governed by certain rules that are designed not only to streamline the function of the work itself but also to maintain a level of fairness for all. Aristotle refers to justice in regards to individuals as "particular justice" and one aspect of this is "that which is manifested in distributions of honour or money or the other things that fall to be divided among those who have a share in the constitution" (Book V.2). In our example, there are several employees who have been working for a long period of time. Lori is new but works the same job as Rosie. Aristotle also believes that distribution of wealth should be proportionate to the need as well as merit saying that "awards should be 'according to merit'; for all men agree that what is just in distribution must be according to merit in some sense" (Book V.3). Assuming that her work is worthy, it is reasonable then that Rosie would be paid more than Lori, due to her length of service. Had they both been new, doing the same job, it would be fair or just to pay them both the same salary. Also, Mary should be paid according to her performance as the marketing manager as it requires much more responsibility than Rosie working as a designer. "Justice is what is proportional and injustice is violation of proportion." (Cliff Notes Book V.3) Another aspect of Aristotle's particular justice is that of remedial or corrective justice. There are two kinds: Voluntary justice such as business transactions, or involuntary justice as in the relation to different types of crime, whether violent or stealthy. Three employees, Lori, Rosie and Anna engage in stealthy violations of the company rule. Lori, who frequently comes in to work late, if paid on salary, is being paid for hours that she is not actually working. Even if paid hourly, her agreement to work with the company would have been based on the hours of the Last Name 5 company and not Lori's schedule and is violated. Rosie takes material goods home, using company purchases for her own benefit and Anna has been stealing company funds every month for the past three years. In view of Aristotle's belief in maintaining equality and balance, he proposes different methods of dealing with injustice. In order to re-establish the original contract with Lori, it would be ideal to get from her the equivalent of what she has taken. In other words, exact from her, the amount of time she was late by having her work later to fulfill the contractual hours. Not all situations are so easily assessed; in Rosie's case it would be difficult to determine how many reams of paper had been taken unless Rosie truthfully confesses but the aim would be to regain from Rosie the equivalent of what she took. The correction should be proportionate to the crime and if possible, restore the relationship to what is was before. This is not likely in Anna's case as her crime has destroyed the trust between the parties. Her premeditation at purposely stealing to the detriment of the business puts her in another category; she has purposely acted unjustly toward the company. Although Rosie also took from the company, justice is meted out in proportion to the crime. Aristotle views everything we do as a part of that search for happiness; happiness being the ultimate good as it is sought for the sake of itself. We work in order to have money to get the things we need or want that will make us happy. We rest from work in order to rejuvenate, be healthy and thus be happy. We play to gain pleasure and as a result, be happy. We have friends to associate with and be happy. "Now such a thing happiness, above all else, is held to be; for this we choose always for self and never for the sake of something else, but honour, pleasure, reason, and every virtue we choose indeed for themselves (for if nothing resulted from them we should still choose each of them), but we choose them also for the Last Name 6 sake of happiness, judging that by means of them we shall be happy. Happiness, on the other hand, no one chooses for the sake of these, nor, in general, for anything other than itself." (Book I.7) Work and friendship are only small parts of what contributes to our happiness. Friends present opportunities to be generous or good or to develop a moral character. Aristotle believed happiness to be a social aspect, and thought that one could not find happiness by being alone. He acknowledges that many seek happiness through the various activities spent together and although Aristotle agrees that happiness itself is an activity as opposed to a disposition, he notes that many try to achieve happiness through amusements, past-times and sensual pleasures. He made it clear that there is a difference between having a good time and living a good life: "The happy life is thought to be virtuous; now a virtuous life requires exertion, and does not consist in amusement" (Book X.6).There is a time and place for amusements, but sometimes we must choose to give up some immediate pleasures for the sake of a greater good later on. This idea assumes that if immediate pleasure produces contentment only for the moment then virtuous activity should lead to lasting happiness. In Book I.10, Aristotle assumes "happiness to be something permanent and by no means easily changed" and promotes the idea that even in catastrophe a virtuous person would continue to be happy despite a change in fortune, or loss of friends. This is supported by another belief that happiness is an accumulation of activity in life and also suggests why he did not consider youth to be happy as they lacked life experience. Aristotle further asserts that happiness is achieved through intellectual activity and reasoning, something that sets us apart from plant and animal life. "It is natural, then, that we call neither ox nor horse nor any other of the animals happy; for none of them is capable of sharing in such activity" (Book I.9). It isn't surprising that he attributes the greatest happiness to philosophers and in Book X.8 he writes "Now he who exercises his reason and cultivates it seems to be both Last Name 7 in the best state of mind and most dear to the gods.and he who is that will presumably be also the happiest; so that in this way too the philosopher will more than any other be happy." Happiness does not fit into the work example except for the fact that each person works at the company in order to fulfill their own happiness and the friendships provided through the workplace offer situations that better a person in their own personal growth. Aristotle's theory was based on fairness and good for all; happiness is attainable for everyone. This could not be attained by each person only looking out for himself, but from being virtuous, looking out for others and thus benefitting from the good himself. The cohesive nature of the work environment probably mirrors the ideals that Aristotle had for society. In the workplace, each individual has to work together with another for the final production to be successful and it is only through co-operation that there is progress. Although Aristotle's ideas were based on society centuries ago they have influenced our thinking today. In every era, every society, and at every age there is some person who is searching for happiness and many times looking in the wrong places. Happiness seems to be fleeting and unattainable. Perhaps if more of today's society were aware of Aristotle's teachings or the many that have spun off through the ages, or even just teachings that have a similar foundation, that of thinking of the good of others instead of just themselves, there would be less conflict, more peace, and more individual fulfillment and happiness. Perhaps one train of thought generated by this philosopher on the topic of goodness is found in the adage, "In helping other, we shall help ourselves." Works Cited Milch, Robert J., and Charles H. Patterson. CliffsNotes on Aristotle's Ethics. 12 Nov 2008 . Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Internet Classics Archive Translated by W.D. Ross. 10 Apr 2000. 12 Nov 2008. Read More