Interpretation of Aristotle's Work - Essay Example

Aristotle work Aristotles argument from Book X of the Ethics for the value of the contemplative life represents thereal human condition. Aristotle put forward that contemplation is the best part ever in an individuals life. He distinguished some traditional forms of life namely: a life of virtue, a life of contemplation, and a life of pleasure. Happiness or felicity is bound to both virtue and mans function in life (Aristotle 1176b). To Aristotle, a contemplative life is the perfect virtue that leads to the happiest life and fulfills mans function more perfectly in the universe. In this sense, one must not perceive that an individual can fulfill his function basing only on contemplation. It may be a preferable source of mans happiness, yet man cannot acquire perfection without possessing the moral values; moral values must be acquired first for him to be complete. This means that an individual with supreme happiness, that is, the one living a contemplative life need to be virtuous for him to be complete. This philosopher came up with arguments for the value of the contemplative life (Aristotle 1178b). Firstly, he argued against happiness that consists of amusements and pastimes, noting that happiness should be in activities in accordance to virtue. Aristotle thought that amusement is a means of rest prior to work; a happy life should be led for a more serious work; and that serious things are more important than those that are just amusing. Since the intellect is the best part of an individual, perfect happiness will be in line with this best part. To him, contemplation is not only the highest part, but also the most on going, and thus the most pleasant of all activities. Moreover, the life of an intellect is more pleasant and best for man. An additional argument is that the gods enjoy superior happiness and felicity, which is found in contemplation. Lower animals also cannot partake in happiness, because they are devoid of contemplative operations. He further argues that man cannot obtain contemplative happiness without adequate material goods or without virtue. Contemplative life does not however require extra material goods. Despite the fact that Aristotles arguments may make sense, they may not be applicable in all situations of mans life. The first objection to this is whether his contemplation can be justified in a contemporary world full of suffering. The dilemma is if it is possible to know exactly what the ration between virtuous activities and contemplation ought to be. It is essential for man to be virtuous for him to be complete, and therefore life cannot depend on contemplation alone. However, since man experiences so much suffering in the world, he is required to do so much virtuous work, which may lessen the amount of contemplation and happiness to be achieved (Aristotle 1177a). A drawback may also be realized when the arguments are viewed in the perception that contemplation cannot be obtained without a structured society where most people live a contemplative life, given that they have to be producers and participate in the functioning of the society. This objection is based on a modern sense of dynamic humanity, where all people are equal. Modernly, if we agree that all people are equal. It is not reasonable to argue that most of them cannot live a contemplative life because of the environments and the nature of the communities they exist in. Considering this, the contemplative life cannot be viewed as the happiest likely life for a human being, but solely as one of the happiest lives possible. In his nicomachean ethics, Aristotle believes that pleasure is part of good and virtuous life. According to Aristotle, there are two kinds of virtue: moral and intellectual virtue. Moral virtues are not innate according to Aristotle but they are acquired. For instance, an individual becomes trustworthy by acting truthfully. Examples of moral virtues are humility, truthfulness, moderation, and generosity. On the other hand, intellectual virtues are those personality traits that are required for correct thinking and desired action. He classified intellectual virtues as productive such as craft knowledge, theoretical such as wisdom and mind and lastly practical such as practical prudence (Aristotle 1177a). Happiness is the central core of living, which depends entirely on cultivation of virtues. According to Aristotle, playing the mean is the way of cultivating virtues that includes moral virtues for the attainment of individual happiness. Playing the mean is the virtue between two extreme excesses and deficiency. For instance, exercising the act of justice in getting too little or getting too much. Therefore, human beings make choices depending on the circumstances that surround them by choosing on one option and neglecting the other. Aristotle believed that task of ethics was to come up with the highest and the best good that is found in human life. Thus, all human activities always aim at some recognized higher end that we always consider as good. Most activities that human beings incur in are a means of attaining a higher end. He discussed the nature of vices and virtues that are involved in evaluating morals, the conditions that ascribes moral responsibility towards an individual agent and the methods that one incurs to achieve happiness in life (Aristotle 1177a). Aristotle rounded off his explanation of what constituted achievement of true happiness by human beings. He stated that pleasure is not good in itself because it is incomplete according to its nature. The activities that people engage in are associated with their own distinctive pleasures. Therefore, human beings are directed and guided in nature by their choice or preference for participating in pleasant activities rather than in unpleasant activities. True happiness lies in behavior that leads to virtue, since this alone provides genuine value and not just amusement (Aristotle 1177a). He held that contemplation is the highest form of ethic activity because it is self-reliant, complete, and continuous. According to Aristotle, every activity posses a final cause, and at the end, it aim for the same good. There is no infinite regress that is associated with extrinsic goods and thus there must be the highest good, which all-human activities aim. He referred to this as happiness and the complexities that is involved in actualizing it. Things that are of any variety, acquires characteristic function, which they later perform. Virtues are opposed to intellectual capacity and thus virtues of characters are due to dispositions to act in a given way in response to some similar situations and the habits that one has which makes him behave in a certain way. Good conduct arises from habits, which can be acquired through recurring actions and corrections, which makes ethics a practical discipline. Each virtue is a state that naturally seeks its own means, which is relative. The virtuous habit of any action is an intermediate state between opposed vices of deficiency and excess (Aristotle 1177a). In application of this theory of virtue, flexibility is paramount as friendliness is far from deficiency than its excesses. This is because few human beings are inclined naturally to undervalue pleasure thus it is unusual to ignore or overlook either of the extremes but to regard the virtue opposite the other vices. Thus, Aristotle’s ethics is governed at moderate rates, which have dominated the western cultures for a very long time. Ethics being a practical science focuses on human nature, which works on accepting and acting moral responsibility. However, moral evaluation of action presupposes attributions of responsibilities to human agents. This does not apply to all attributions, as responsible actions must be taken voluntarily (Aristotle 1177a). Aristotle gave out two conditions under which human actions become voluntary. First, he asserted that actions which are produced by external forces are taken as involuntary which the agent is not fully responsible for them. Secondly, involuntary actions may be one that is performed out of ignorance. Thus, for all decisions to act in a voluntary way, we rely on deliberations about choice among the alternative actions, which an individual could perform. Despite the fact that virtues are habits of disposition, which act in a definite way, Aristotle asserted that these habits are acquired when one engages in suitable conduct on definite situations and that in so doing; it requires that one think about what one engages in doing in a given way. Furthermore, no demonstrative knowledge of sort employment in aesthetics and science judgment in relation to craft is relevant to morality. Thus, the understanding can be applied to exploring origin of things while wisdom traces any demonstrable connections, which are among them(Aristotle 1177a). Prudence or practical intelligence is the thinking mode that which provides morality in an adequate way. This comprehends a true character of individuals and the community welfare, which applies the results to guidance of human actions. To act correctly, one coordinates his desires with the correct thoughts over correct ends or goals. Deliberative reasoning considers the extent at which each one of them could contribute towards achieving the appropriate end or goal, engaging in the action voluntarily and making deliberate choices to act in a way, which best fits its end. Therefore, intelligence is the basis of acquiring virtue though it differs from intelligence. Aristotle disregarded Socrates belief about knowledge on what is right always leads to doing the same thing. The greatest enemy of moral conducts is the failure to act well on the occasion when deliberations on what may be wrong. Therefore, incontinent agents do suffer from weaknesses of will, which prevent carrying out measures considering conformity that they have reasoned out (Aristotle 1177a). This is failure of intelligence, as the individual may not draw appropriate connections between moral rule and particular applicable cases. The prospect that applies to great pleasures obscures one’s perceptions of what is good. Aristotle refuted that this difficulty should not be fatal towards achieving virtues. Work Cited Aristotle. Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics. Trans Crisp, Roger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print. Read More