Читать реферат по английскому: "ARISTOTLE Essay Research Paper ARISTOTLE Aristotle is" Страница 5

(Назад) (Cкачать работу)

Finally, in 323 BC Alexander the Great died in Babylon, leaving Athens and other cities in revolt. It was again an unstable place for Aristotle to live and work. Soon after the death of Alexander the Great, Aristotle was charged with impiety, as Socrates had been. In order to prosecute Aristotle, they used a hymn he had written for Hermias years prior to the death of Alexander and the subsequent loss of Macedonian control in Athens. Aristotle left Athens for Chalcis, on Euboea, his mother’s old home. In regards to his withdrawal from Athens and noting the similarity of charges brought against Socrates, he is quoted as stating that he would “not let Athens sin twice against philosophy” (Edel 26). He lived in Euboea for another year before his death in 322 BC. Scholars believe, generally, that he died of a stomach illness. However there are those who have their own ideas about how Aristotle died. (See-Myth of Aristotle’s Suicide)

WRITINGS

Aristotle is the author of several books about the sciences, mostly metaphysics and meteorology. He is also responsible for some of the world’s most important philosophical writings. Aristotle began his writing during Plato’s lifetime and there are similarities in the style of their writing. In fact, critics of the time praised Aristotle as being the second most accomplished writer next to Plato.

Here is a list of some of his writings:

Posterior Analytics

Topics

De Partibus Animalium

Historia Animalium

Ethics

De Sensu et Sensibili

De Memoria et Reminiscentia

De Anima (books I – III)

Politics

Rhetoric

Metaphyics (books I – XII)

Meterology (books I – IV)

THE MYTH OF ARISTOTLE’S SUICIDE

According to the Vita Aristotelis Hesychii, II Vita Aristotelis Syriaca and many similar records of the time written by Eumelus, Aristotle either died of a broken heart or took his own life. This is a popular assumption of the time about philosophers in general. Aristotle supposedly committed suicide by drinking poison hemlock at the age of seventy. This story, many say, is too close to the circumstances of Socrates’ death, an earlier philosopher who like Aristotle, was condemned. Socrates, however, was condemned to death by drinking hemlock, not exile. Aristotle actually fled before his trial. In actuality, there are very few similarities between the two. Still it is possible that Eumelus’ account is simply a naive transfer of Socrates’ manner of death to Aristotle.

What Makes A Life Worth Living?

To the select few men Aristotle felt could live a worthwhile life, he offered his teachings.? Arguably one of the most important of his teachings was that Aristotle suggested an answer to the question “what makes a life worth living?”? Aristotle believed that the only worthwhile life was a successful life.

He defined success in two key ways:

?”Living one’s whole life in a rational way, under the guidance of the best virtues of the rational soul” (Hutchinson 202)

?”Entirely excellent activity, together with moderate good fortune, throughout an entire lifetime” (Hutchinson 203)

Critical to Aristotle’s definitions of success are two concepts:? virtue and rationality.? On virtue, Aristotle is specific.? He created the “doctrine of the mean” that stated “every virtue lies in the middle between two associated vices” (Hutchinson 217).? The most common example used to illustrate this is the virtue of bravery.? Bravery is the balance between cowardice and rashness, with cowardice being too much fear and rashness being too little.? Aristotle thus believed in balance.? Balance, however, was not just the middle point between two vices.? Virtue was largely a continuum, with more or less of the vices necessary for different circumstances (see AGON).

Aristotle deemed the intellectual the rational.? Emotions, in contrast, were irrational.? Aristotle believed rational behavior, that governed by the intellect, to be the higher good and felt that it should determine the moral response and maintain control over the irrational emotions.

Training was also vital to the achievement of success, especially in controlling impulses and emotions.? Aristotle felt this training should be “under the guidance of the community’s laws, customs, and education, and the discipline of the family” (Hutchinson 213).

Despite Aristotle’s belief in the importance of training, he did not reduce virtue to the mere chance of good training.? Rather, he stated “we influence the development of all aspects of our personalities by how we choose to spend our time and what we choose to do” (Huchinson 213).? Thus, a successful life is made visible through a man’s choices.? Aristotle stated, “decisions reveal the man” (Hutchinson 210).

?

?

Thus Aristotle, proclaimed “the master of those who know” by Dante, held that success was the answer to the question “what makes a life worth living?” Rationality and virtue were the underpinnings of his definition of success.? A virtuous man, he asserted, could be observed by his decisions, however no woman, slave, child, or non-property owner could be successful.? He thus excluded these people from his teachings.? Even the select men he taught would find success elusive though.? Training was important to achieving success.? Nonetheless, the attainment? of success remained the responsibility and the possibility of the individual. If successful, the man would be living the life

Похожие работы