Aristotle on Civic Relationship - Case Study Example

Aristotle on Civic Relationship Introduction An English poet d John Donne once said, “no man is island” (qtd. in Martin). By saying this, he wanted to emphasize the fact that for humans to reach their highest potential, the company of others is necessary. An individual will not be able to survive on earth if he or she does not have friends. In other words, individualism is not good if humans are to aim for unification and harmony. As a fact, it has been observed that individualization tends to promote dependence on social and political agencies (Beck, qtd. in Appleton). In such case, individuals are only focused with regard to their own success which undermines the existence of a society. Hence, collectivism which promotes formation of a relationship with the other members of the community is a must. In contrast with individualism, collectivism stresses interdependence among humans and the primacy of collective effort (Froivinber). When people maintain this outlook, the society as a whole will flourish. Stated in another sense, the success of one’s society is attributable to its member’s maintenance of the so called, civic relationship. This kind of relationship shall be explained in the light of Aristotle’s philosophical ideas. His notions shall then be compared and contrasted with the contemporary views on “best places to work”. Aristotle on Civic Relationship Aristotle’s elaboration on civic relationship is associated with the following words: happiness, virtues, deliberation, justice and friendship. The explanation of each is to be found in his literary work known as “Nichomachean Ethics.” Happiness Happiness for Aristotle “is the best, noblest and most pleasant thing” on earth (Aristotle et al. 17). In relation to civic relationship, he explains happiness in view of self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency is to be determined by relationship. According to him, being self-sufficient does not mean that which is adequate for a human by himself or herself or for one who is in solitary living, but also for one’s family, friends and co-citizens. In another sense, self-sufficiency makes life desirable and complete when isolated (Aristotle et al. 12). This kind of isolation is entirely different to one who lives in solitary life. An individual who lives alone does not achieve self-sufficiency. This is due to the fact that a human being needs the companion of others to thrive and feel secure. What it refers to is the type of isolation wherein a group is isolated and in such group, the individual is a member. In a sense, Aristotle deems a person self-sufficient as long as he or she has formed a relationship with others and eventually becomes part of a group. This is regardless of the possible isolation of such association. Upon achieving such ideal self-sufficiency, happiness becomes the fruit. “Happiness, then, is something final and self-sufficient, and is the end of action” (Aristotle et al. 12). In such case, civic relationship for Aristotle promotes happiness as long as people are self-sufficient. Virtue The Greek philosopher actually identifies happiness with virtue (Aristotle et al. 16). Happiness for him is one that is achievable by doing virtuous activities. As such, an individual must have good intentions in interacting with his or her fellow beings. Aristotle then mentions the Olympic Games to illustrate this point. According to him, the basis for one to be called the winner is not his or her strength and appearance but his or her performance during the game (Aristotle et al. 16). An athlete must not use dirty tactics in order to achieve victory. What Aristotle envisions for a model athlete is one who is noble and competes in the right way. In such circumstance, the athlete achieves happiness due to his noble and virtuous act in the competition. Stated otherwise, being happy for Aristotle is not to be associated with bad things but to “the noble and good things in life” (Aristotle et al. 16). Nevertheless, he highlights the fact that a person needs proper equipment in doing noble acts (Aristotle et al. 17). He actually refers proper equipment with external goods. He says that in most instances, people use friends, “riches and political power as” the means (Aristotle et al. 17). In connection with the concept on civic relationship, Aristotle aims a kind of relation which makes a person happy due to virtuous acts. Deliberation Notably, Aristotle emphasizes that for an act to be virtuous, the circumstances surrounding a particular case shall be considered. In a sense, this idea affirms the contention that Aristotle recognizes the fact that “there is an exception to every rule” and this exception is recognized due to the uniqueness of the circumstance (“There Is”). In this instance, the general rule is that all acts must be virtuous to achieve happiness. Presumably, the exception would be that an act which is considered as not virtuous in the usual scenario is to be classified as noble due to an exempting circumstance. In doing so, a person facing with many options must choose that which promotes the ultimate end. Aristotle terms this “process of rational inquiry” as deliberation (Kraut). He contends that a “virtuous person judges each sort of thing correctly” through investigation (Nob-Dis 92). Such investigation is geared towards discovering the truth in a particular instance for it is “the standard and measure of the noble and pleasant” (Nob-Dis 92). To note, Aristotle actually assumes that a good individual is good in deliberating. He further states that what makes an aim right is virtue (Kraut). By this, he tries to convey the fact that rational inquiry proceeds from an aim which is more definite than the objective of achieving the state of happiness by doing virtuous acts (Kraut). Nevertheless, despite such idea, it is a contention that such deliberation always ends with happiness. Relevant to the notion on civic relationship, Aristotle foresees a relation between individuals whose noble acts root from a rational inquiry. Justice The concept on justice is basically related to the previous concept. Deliberation is actually equated by Aristotle as practical reasoning which is essential in promoting justice. He declares that such type of reasoning assumes that an individual has a goal to attain and the task of which is to know the means of its accomplishment (Kraut). Significantly, the means to be identified must justify the end. This is one of the determinants used to solve a problem or conflict. Nonetheless, what is justifiable depends on the facts of the case. In accordance with Aristotle’s idea, it is his view that “practical reasoning is correct only if it” is based on the correct premise (Kraut). The premise is correct if it promotes justice. Justice then is compatible with the philosopher’s idea on virtue. Actually, for him, justice is a virtue, a character trait and “not a state of being” (“Notes”). This means that a virtuous person does acts which are just. As such, he deems it part of a person’s motives than behavior (“Notes”). As such, a person acts with such virtue already a part of his or her personality. Aristotle then further argues that a just individual obeys the laws of the society and seeks for a fair share of resources. Therefore, a lawless and greedy person is unjust (“Notes”). Justice for him is every virtue that is executed toward one’s friends and co-citizens. It is not an intermediary but is a way of looking at intermediates (“Notes”). Friendship According to Aristotle, friendship is a virtue that is necessary to one’s life (Aristotle). He elaborates this idea by giving an instance wherein a human being needs some friends. Aristotle highlights the fact that wealth and prosperity are of no use if the person does not have any friends. He then relates friendship with how people in a community interact and relate with each other. He contends that so long as people regard the other members of the society as friends, civic relationship occurs. Furthermore, he reveals that friendship is the key to interstate relation and lawyers “care more for it than for justice” (Aristotle). Basically, comity among nations is encouraged. The reason of which is to prevent interstate war. This is in relation to the idea that in terms of economic power, states differ to a large extent. In fact, there are countries in the world which are considered as super powers and there are those which are poor and needs the help of other countries to survive. As to the second contention, Aristotle justifies it by saying that when friendship ends, there would be more cases to handle, whereas if friendship is preserved, lesser possible form of conflicts can be anticipated. Nevertheless, caring more for friendship than justice produces the same end, that is, to prevent conflict. Best Places to Work According to a research institute (Great Place to Work Institute) located in San Francisco, the best workplace is one which upholds trust between the employees and the management (“The Great Place”). It considers trust as the most essential trait that a company must have to create a good working environment. It has three aspects: credibility, respect and fairness (“The Dimensions”). The institute contends that determining the level of trust is quite simple. This is due to the fact that trust as a trait shows in every form of relationship. So to speak, friendship is primarily governed by trust. As long as there is trust between the parties concerned, friendship continues and flourish (“The Great Place”). Individuals communicate based on trust. One does not interact well to a stranger as compared to a friend. Accordingly, in the workplace, employees cooperate and collaborate if a high level of trust is accorded to them by the management. This instance actually results to a positive workplace interaction, greater productivity and higher profit (“The Great Place”). Thus, interactions in the workplace should be founded on trust. The great place to work is one wherein an employee trusts the people he or she works for, has pride in what he or she does and enjoys the company of his or her co-workers (“Our Model”). In 2009, Fortune Magazine has published its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. NetApp got the number one spot (“100 Best”). This company was actually ranked number fourteenth in the previous year’s list (“Net App”). NetApp’s egalitarian culture was seen as the main reason for its employee’s enthusiasm to work (“NetApp”). Equal treatment between the workers has contributed to the company’s creation of a good working environment. In a sense, equality promotes and builds trust in a relationship much more in a workplace. Fairness or equality is actually one of the dimensions of trust cited by the Great Place to Work Institute (GPWI). Civic Relationship vs. Best Places to Work Aristotle’s idea on civic relationship and the notions of the best places to work by the Great Place to Work Institute has similarities and differences. As to their similarity, both emphasize the importance of having a good relationship in an environment. They both focus on how individuals should communicate and what trait should they have to prevent conflict. In a sense, their ideas on friendship are compatible. Aristotle highlights the fact that having friends is essential for every individual. He actually considers friendship as a virtue. In relation to the other party’s contention, the institute essentially leads everyone to the fact that friendship in the workplace is also necessary. With regard to their differences, the center of Aristotle’s contention is how individuals in a community should interact while GPWI’s notion is focused in the workplace. Moreover, civic relationship for Aristotle is one which is based on friendship, promotes justice and ends with happiness. On the other hand, GPWI’s idea of a great workplace is one which is trust-based. In a sense, Aristotle seems to care more of the end results in every form of relationship whereas GPWI tends to focus more on the factors leading to such result. Conclusion Civic Relationship is indeed necessary for a society to flourish. However, for these to properly exist, Aristotle offers various contentions. According to him, civic relationship promotes happiness as long as the persons making up the society are self-sufficient and do virtuous acts. A noble act for him is actually one that is a result of practical reasoning or deliberation. Moreover, Aristotle considers friendship and justice as essential to maintain civic relationship. Both factors are considered by him as virtues. To sum up, civic relationship in the light of Aristotle’s idea is one that is interactive, virtuous, deliberative, just and ends with happiness. Works Cited Appleton, Josie. “A Public Intellectual vs The Privacy Infringers.” Spiked. Spiked, 13 Aug. 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. . Aristotle. “Nichomachean Ethics.” Trans. W. D. Ross. The Internet Classics Archive. The Internet Classics Archive, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Aristotle et al. The Nichomachean Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print. Froivinber. “Individualism Over Collectivism.” The Vincenton Post. Wordpress, 17 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. . Kraut, Richard. “Aristotle’s Ethics.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Sept. 2010. . Martin, Gary. “No Man is an Island.” The Phrase Finder. The Phrase Finder, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. . “NetApp.” Fortune. CNNMoney.com, 2 Feb. 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Nob-Dis. “Believe it or Not: Spirituality is the New Religion.” Mother Jones Magazines Dec. 1997: 91. Print. “Notes on Aristotle on Justice.” Philosophy 020-40. Philosophy 020-40, 6 Apr. 2004. Web. 17 Sept. 2010. . “Our Model.” Great Place to Work Institute. Great Place to Work Institute, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . “The Dimensions of a Great Place to Work.” Great Place to Work Institute. Great Place to Work Institute, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . “The Great Place to Work Institute.” Great Place to Work Institute. Great Place to Work Institute, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . “There is an Exception to Every Rule.” Answers.com. Answers Corporation, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. . “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Fortune. CNNMoney.com, 2 Feb. 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Read More