Eastern and Western Philosophers Comparison - Essay Example

Running Head: COMPARATIVE ESSAY: ARISTOTLE AND GAUTAMA BUDDHA COMPARATIVE ESSAY: ARISTOTLE AND GAUTAMA BUDDHA Introduction Aristotle andGautama Buddha are two of the greatest ancient philosophers that the world has known. The first was born in the West and the other in the East, but both were born in the period before the birth of Christ. Aristotle is known for his theoretical ideas on morality while Gautama Buddha is associated with practical religious ideas that are aimed at attaining the ultimate state of peace and happiness.

This paper discusses two doctrines that were each developed by these philosophers because of their seeming similarity to each other: Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean, and; Gautama Buddha’s Middle Path or Middle Way. Despite these two philosophies superficial similarities in that both advocate moderateness, there are certain differences that set them apart. Background: Aristotle and Gautama Buddha Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who was born in 385 B.C. in a city in the northeastern coast of Greece.

He studied in the Platonic Academy in Athens when he was seventeen under Plato. After Plato’s death, Aristotle left Athens and settled in Mysia, but fled to a nearby island when the Persians invaded Greece. It was not long thereafter that the King of Macedon invited him to tutor his son Alexander who will later succeed to the throne and become one of the greatest military tacticians of all time. When Alexander became king, Aristotle went back to Athens and taught at the Lyceum. Upon Alexander’s death, Aristotle was driven into exile by the rebels on the suspicion of being a Macedonian sympathizer (Winn and Jacks, 1-2).

On the other hand, Gautama Buddha was born Siddharta Gautama in Nepal in 560 B.C. to a wealthy and influential family. At 18, Gautama married the daughter of the village chief, but left her and their newborn and renounced all material wealth to seek the meaning of life. Thereafter, Gautama led a life of asceticism and isolation in the company of other ascetics who taught him Hindu philosophy. His initial search for spiritual emancipation did not satisfy him until he underwent meditation for 49 days, upon which he supposedly found enlightenment.

Gautama spent the rest of his life traveling all over Nepal and outlying areas teaching his philosophy and gaining adherents (Dutt 2008, pp. 284-303). A Comparative Look: Aristotle and Gautama Buddha Aristotle is known as a great theoretical philosopher while Gautama Buddha is famous for his religious and practical philosophy. Both are known for developing doctrines that teach the attainment of moral perfection, but their ideas are often approached from different perspectives. One example of this is Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean and Gautama Buddha’s the Middle Path.

In the Doctrine of the Mean, Aristotle defined excellence of character as a life of virtue. According to this theory, virtue is a “mean” state that can be found between the two extremes of excess and deficiency. The doctrine of the mean is akin to a mathematical exercise in which the virtuous person must always choose the mean, say the number 6 in the numbers from 1 to 10. Thus, a virtuous person is neither one who shirks from every challenge for fear of his life and safety nor one who rushes headlong to meet every danger without taking into account the dangers attached to the situation.

Nonetheless, the degree to which a person takes the mean must also take into consideration of the circumstances. Thus, witnessing a particularly horrendous act may justify one in showing greater than the usual degree of anger. The implication is that it is the person himself who must determine where the ‘mean’ lies and this entails using one’s common sense (Urmson pp. 157-158). On the other hand, Gautama Buddha is attributed with the development of the philosophy of the Middle Way or the Middle Path.

This philosophy entails taking the path of moderation, which lies between the path of sexual licentiousness and extreme asceticism. According to Buddha, the Middle Way can be attained by observing the Noble Eight Fold-Path: right viewpoint; right aspiration; right speech; right behavior; right occupation; right effort; right mindfulness, and; right meditation (Stepanyants 2006, p. 207). Although both philosophies advocate a life of moderateness, there are significant differences in their objectives, methods and approaches.

Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean is meant to establish a model of the ideal character, while Buddha’s Middle Path is merely a means to achieve the ultimate state of nirvana. Moreover, the Mean doctrine, according to Aristotle can be achieved by exercising correct reasoning and logic, while Buddha advocated the use of meditation to determine the middle path. Aristotle’s concern was the conduct of man as a member of the social order, while it is evident that Buddha did not only take into consideration the worldly sphere, but also life beyond society as in the case of the ascetics.

Furthermore, Buddha classified sexual pleasure as an extreme as opposed to Aristotle’s mere advocacy of prudence that is feasible even in matters of sexuality. Nevertheless, both these philosophies generally believe that it is the individual who determines the mean, in the case of Aristotle’s doctrine, or the middle path, in the case of Buddha’s teaching (Stepanyants 2006, pp. 203-214). Conclusion Both Aristotle and Gautama Buddha advocated living a life that avoids the extremes. However, what is extreme for one may not be for the other.

This is because these philosophers looked at things from different perspectives. To Aristotle, life necessarily embraces the social sphere, but Buddha looked not only the social sphere, but also into the world of the ascetics. Moreover, Aristotle looked at the theoretical ideal and incorporated them into his philosophies, while Buddha gave practical advices to his followers, such as the avoidance of specific material and worldly things. Nonetheless, both philosophers and their philosophies are laced with wisdom and usefulness even to modern man.

References Dutt, R. (2008). History of India, in Nine Volumes: Vol. I-From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century B.C. New York: Cosimo Inc. Ophuls, P. & Kornfield, J. (2007). Buddha Takes No Prisoners: A Meditator's Survival Guide. USA: North Atlantic Books. Stepanyants, M. (2006). Comparative Ethics in a Global Age. USA: CRVP. Urmson, J. O. (1980). ‘Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean’ Essays on Aristotle’s Ethics by Rorty, A. USA: University of California Press. Winn, C. & Jacks, M.L. (1967). Aristotle His Thought and Its Relevance Today.

Great Britain: Taylor & Francis.