Ethical Views of Aristotle and Aquinas - Research Paper Example

Compare the Ethical Views of Aristotle and Aquinas Elements that Aquinas and Aristotle Agree on Views on the Highest Good It becomes unreasonable for men to get their concepts of happiness and good from the lives they live. Happiness is linked pleasure by people and those who identify it with pleasure. With all these, they are said to be living a life full of enjoyment. The life is of three types; the life that was mentioned, the contemplative life and the political life (Aristotle 8). The goods things are classified into three; the external goods, goods of the body and the goods of the soul. The goods of the soul are regarded as highest and fuller (Aristotle 19). It becomes impossible for a person to perform a noble task when the external goods are missing. Some of the external goods bring unhappiness (Aristotle 21). Both Aquinas and Aristotle concur on what entails a noble task and the highest good. External acts according to Aquinas (11), the product of the activity and the activity are considered. Others that can be considered are acts of reasoning and understanding. It is evident from both philosophers that external acts or goods are vital for a person to perform well. A Person as a Judge of Himself Both Aristotle and Aquinas agree that every person can be a good judge of himself. According to Aristotle (5), a person can competently judge the items he knows. The judge has to be trained in that particular field in order to pass judgment. According to Aquinas (168), a judge can examine a witness and find ways to acquit the innocent individual. The competence of the judge is also examined by Aquinas. If the judge is unable to give the required judgment, the person being judged can be remitted to the higher court. Virtuous Action and Virtue In virtue, knowledge has little significance and repeated acts of self control and justice can lead to the possession of the values (Aristotle 39). Virtue brings out the good thing itself of which the good thing is the excellence. Virtue also makes the excellence to perform the assigned functions well (Aristotle 41). Virtue entails actions and emotions and actions consist of deficiency, excess and median. Success and praise constitute the signs of excellence or virtue (Aristotle 43). Knowledge brings no benefit to a deficient and morally weak person. The person pursues his or her interests under the influence of his or her emotions. If their desires are regulated by their rational principle, they will benefit from the knowledge of the subject that is politics (Aristotle 6). According to Aquinas, sin goes against the virtuous act and waging war is a sin and against peace (Aquinas 164). Aquinas argues that a right intention must exist for war to occur and these intentions must be capable of promoting good or avoiding evil (Aristotle 165). Considering the arguments of both philosophers, virtue is of importance and their intentions vary. The values can be possessed when justice and self control is repeated. Elements That Aquinas and Aristotle Disagree The Concept of Virtue and Activity There are two types; moral and intellectual virtue. Intellectual virtue originates from teaching and it requires time and experience. Moral virtue gets its origin from habit. It implies that moral virtue is given to us by nature (Aristotle 33). The soul has capacities, emotions, virtue and characteristics. Virtue cannot be emotions because people are not regarded good or bad based on their emotions but on the basis of their vices and virtues (Aristotle 40). Good and activity aim at different ends and these ends differ in what they aim for. Sometimes the activity is the end, in others the end is the activity and in others the end is product. The end may lie beyond the action and the product becomes superior to the activity (Aristotle 3). According to Aquinas, activities result from virtues and the sources of these activities are habits, powers and emotions. There are contrasting sources of virtue. Aristotle argues that virtue may result from teachings and habit and thus the two types of virtues; intellectual and mortal virtue. Aquinas says that virtues result from habits, powers and emotions. What Determines An Action? There is no consensus between the two as to the source of our action. Aquinas states that habits form the intellectual virtues. This is because the rule and the measure of a person’s act is reason. Reason orders our end and it is the main source of our actions. Law orders the person to act or refrain from doing something. The law makes a person to act and it is a measure of act and rule (Aquinas 11). Actions and emotions encompass virtue or excellence. When they become involuntary, they attract blame and praise; when they are involuntary, pardon and pity becomes obvious. A voluntary action is done under the person’s wish but involuntary is done against the person’s wish. The moment of action is often referred with involuntary and voluntary action (Aristotle 52). If there is any end that exists for what we do then the good can be attainable by action. If the ends are several, the goods will be attainable by action. Some of the ends are chosen by us and it becomes obvious that not all these ends are final. Something that is final is the highest good (Aristotle 14). Self-sufficiency is achieved by the perfect and final good and thus happiness fits this description (Aristotle 15). The highest good is achieved when the end determines all other desires. The good is owned by the most sovereign and the most extensive politics and master science. For a man, the end of politics is a good thing. The greatest and the most perfect thing to attain and safeguard is the good for the state (Aristotle 5).To become a good student of politics, and what is just and right, one must have an appropriate upbringing in moral conduct. The person with such an upbringing can easily get the required foundations to start (Aristotle 7). Works Cited Aquinas, T. On Law, Morality, and Politics. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 2002. Print. Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print. Read More