The Significance of Aristotelian Philosophy - Case Study Example

Aristotle, his ideas and the significance of Aristotalian Philosophy to Contemporary Work Relationships. Greek Philosopher Aristotle, born in 384 BC, is one of the central figures of modern philosophy. As a teacher and prolific writer, his teachings reached every aspect of western thought. His most important philosophical works are arguably Politics, Poetics, De Anima and Nicomachean Ethics. His themes of universality, logic and the individual versus humanity are cultural mainstays and can apply to many elements of one’s life. One of these elements in the workplace, and how intrapersonal relationships function within the workplace. Though the contemporary environment of the workplace did not exist in Aristotelian times, we can apply his philosophies to the workplace in an analytical fashion. Happiness, to Aristotle, can easily be misjudged. Aristotle thought that people think happiness is a result of virtue, and through virtues like honor, pleasure and reason a human being can achieve happiness. But, according to Aristotle, this is not so: the pursuit of these does not equal happiness but leads one away from happiness. In actuality, happiness is achieved through self-sufficiency. But Aristotle clarifies this in his Nicomachean Ethics: “Now by self-sufficient we do not mean that is sufficient by a man himself, one which leads a solitary life, but also for parents, children, wife and in general for his friends and citizens (Aristotle 7).” Man is born of citizenship and through the adherence to the people he loves he will find happiness. But Nicomachean Ethics goes on to describe self-sufficiency as “that which when isolated makes one desirable, and lacking in nothing: and such we think happiness to be (Aristotle 8).” Happiness within self-sufficiency is the end of action, not the experience of doing right by close members of friends and family, but the result of these actions. To Aristotle, happiness also has a “snowball effect.” Happiness comes from continuous good actions, and though a couple small blunders won’t make someone unhappy, per se, it is the combined results of good deeds and general goodness one achieves self-sufficiency and happiness. Though it is easy for a man to be distracted by the unhappiness or happiness of his fellow man, Aristotle continually emphasizes the fact that self-sufficiency, an independent motivator, should take precedence and one shouldn’t be flummoxed by the successes or failures of people around him. This could lead to unhappiness, and this lack of focus often does. One can certainly apply these ideas of Aristotalian happiness to the workplace. In order to be Happy in terms of emotional well being and professional success, there is a very important call for a self-motivation that can be compared to Aristotle’s “self-sufficiency.” This self-sufficiency should be strong enough so that it isn’t distracted by the progress (or lack thereof) of others in the workplace. At the same time, self-sufficiency in the workplace at an extreme doesn’t equal professional happiness, as in a contemporary, professional atmosphere nobody can be entirely self-sufficient. One depends on other co-workers in order for the professional entity to be working to its full functionality and to ensure the happiness of the workers within it. Aristotle has it right with the idea that the more one exercises the muscles of self-sufficiency and a motivation that this self-sufficiency also depends on other people, the easier it becomes to be successful in the workplace. Aristotle says that this is a part of being human, and an essential part of being successful at one’s job. On Justice, Aristotle states that justice is dependent on the ideals of the person who defines justice. In Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle goes on to compare justice to that of a body’s health: “as a result of health we do not do what is the opposite of healthy, but only what is healthy: for we say a man walks healthy, when he walks as a healthy man would (Aristotle 65).” Justice and injustice are very ambiguous in the way that we judge our health based on or normal state is ambiguous, and tailored to the individual. Still, justice in relation to the law is thought, in Aristotle’s mind, to be the greatest of virtues. “In Justice is every virtue comprehended (Aristotle 67).” Justice is thought to be the great virtue because it is not individual in nature, but affects everyone. Justice, like happiness, extends beyond the self. This outlook what is needed to maintain a cohesive workforce in a contemporary workplace. At the same time, there is more than one kind of justice in Nicomachean Ethics: the lawful and the fair. It is not the same to be a good man and a good citizen, and there are very specific levels of good manhood and good citizenry. To be “fair” is to “play a rectifying part in transactions between man and man (Aristotle 69).” To be a “lawful” is to play a good part in affairs of honor, distribution or government. This latter justice holds men together under the law, and is deemed intrinsically important to the success of the political entity. One could take the definition of “fair” and “lawful” and apply them to a business or place of work. Though a person can embody both fairness and lawfulness, it is important that lawfulness is to be abided, as “fairness,” in the Aristotelian sense, is subjective and based on individual experience and outlook. For example, it might be company policy not to get into a romantic relationship with a co-worker. While this might be okay in other scenarios or outside of this specific workplace, it would be lawfulness and adherence to company policy that would win out of a workplace runs the way it should. Lawfulness should win out over fairness, as this is what standardizes and office and makes laws and rules unambiguous. Because the contemporary work place often confronts issues of what is “just” and “unjust,” Aristotle’s ideas of “fair” and “lawful” provide insight as to what is the most important form of goodness in a professional atmosphere. Friendship is most necessary to our lives, according to Aristotle. “For no one would care to live without friends, though he had all other good things…indeed, it is when a man is rich, and has got power and authority, that he seems to most of all stand in need of friends; for what is the use of all this prosperity if he has no opportunity for benevolence, which is most frequently and most commendably displayed toward friends? …in poverty and all other misfortunes, again, we regard our friends as our only refuge. It is ones friends who a person leans on, continues Aristotle, and like self-sufficiency, we can only go so far alone. We need others to become our best selves and keep us out of trouble, but also to make us accomplish things that alone, we do not see possible. Friends make us most efficient in thought and action, and the bond that keeps people at their best. In a macro sense, friendship holds states together, and “the lawgivers are even more eager to secure it than justice (Aristotle 252).” The most complete realization of justice, according to Aristotle, seems to be the completion of friendship and also in some instances, love. In Aristotle’s Politics he states that “hence in all cities, there are family meetings, clubs, sacrifices and public entertainments to promote friendship, for a love of sociability is friendship itself, so that the end then for which a city is established is that the inhabitants of it may live happy and these things are conducive to that end (Aristotle 98).” There, it seems, friendship is the building blocks of human interaction and society. Friendship is something that every human being needs, and this extends itself throughout communities, states, countries and the world. Friendship requires long and familiar intercourse, and through friendship people communicate, find pleasure, love and make themselves better people. There are also many motivations for friendship: civic motivation, establishing connections, pleasure, sexuality, profit and more. The truest friendship exists between men who are considered “good,” according to Aristotle, and perpetuate the ideals of friendship through morality, justice truth and good intention. Friendship is also an integral part of the workplace. Friendship means as many things to Aristotle as it does to a contemporary professional community, and has as many facets. People are friends out of pleasure, like interests, interconnectivity and because it will bring them professional gain. Friendship might be even more important in the processional workplace because there are work relationships and business deals at stake: more than ever, positive human reinforcement and maintenance of business relationships is something that a company hinges upon and can bring them success or failure. Friendship also plays on interconnectivity. Now, more than ever, workplaces maintain relationships based on interconnectivity. The Internet, fax, mail, meetings and general correspondence was built up by the need for constant communication. The methods of communication can be varying, but the effect is to solidify relationships and partnerships that can be interpreted as Aristotelian friendships. Thus it is important that if friendship is the basis of a solid community structure, people maintain these relationships by any means possible. If humans thrive on social interaction and the bonds that become a lasting friendship, workplace relationships should mirror friendship and emulate the virtues of friendship, because this will lead to better business interaction and healthier, more satisfied workers. In conclusion, one can most definitely look to Aristotle for a model of how good relationships at work are conducted and maintained. Current work relationships are based on communication, professionalism and a commitment to self-motivation and a sense of dependency on others so that the workplace can run smoothly. One can find these ideas in the works of Aristotle and apply them to find success in a contemporary professional community and how this contemporary professional community functions. Bibliography Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. Aristotle. Politics: A Treatise on Government. New York: G. Routledge, 1895. Read More