Aristotle Forum Summary Instructions You Are Going To Summar

Aristotle Forum Summaryinstructionsyou Are Going To Summarize Aristotl

Aristotle argues that happiness is the highest good for humans, but to truly understand what this entails, we must first identify the unique function or purpose of human beings. Drawing a parallel with crafts like carpentry or sculpture, Aristotle suggests that just as each craft has a specific activity defining its excellence, humans too must have a distinctive function. While life processes like nutrition and growth are shared with plants, and sensory perception is common among animals, the unique human function must be rooted in rational activity. The rational part of the soul, which involves thought and obedience to reason, defines this function. If the human purpose is to engage in rational activity, then the highest good will be achieved through actions performed in accordance with virtue. Consequently, a good life for humans involves exhibiting virtues through the proper and excellent exercise of our rational capacities, leading to happiness or eudaimonia as the ultimate goal.

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Aristotle’s philosophy provides a profound investigation into the nature of human happiness and the highest good, encapsulating his doctrine of the purpose or function of human life. Central to his argument is the assertion that understanding what constitutes the human good requires an analysis of the unique function that distinguishes humans from other beings. Aristotle posits that each entity has a specific function—an activity that is proper to its nature—and the good for that entity consists in performing its function well. For artisans, artists, or craftsmen, their good lies in executing their craft skillfully; similarly, he suggests that humans must have a comparable function that defines their essence.

He begins by considering whether humans have special functions beyond basic biological processes shared with plants, such as nutrition and growth, or sensory perceptions shared with animals. As both plants and animals perform these functions, they cannot be the defining features of human excellence. Instead, Aristotle focuses on the rational capacities unique to humans. He differentiates between the life of perception—common to animals—and a higher form of life involving rational activity. The rational element of the soul, which encompasses both obedience to reason and the capacity for rational thought, becomes the candidate for defining human function.

Aristotle further clarifies that the activity corresponding to this function is rational activity—thinking, deliberation, and exercising virtue in accordance with reason. He emphasizes that once we identify the function of humans as rational activity, the pursuit of the highest good naturally involves performing this activity excellently. Virtue, or excellence in rational activity, becomes the measure of a good life, and the most complete expression of this virtue leads to eudaimonia, often translated as happiness or flourishing. In conclusion, human happiness is achieved through engaging in rational activities with virtue, fulfilling our unique purpose and realizing our full potential as rational beings.

References

• Aristotle. (1998). Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by Terence Irwin. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
• Kenny, A. (2010). Aristotle’s Philosophy. Oxford University Press.
• Lear, J. (1988). Aristotle: The Desire to Understand. Cambridge University Press.
• Nussbaum, M. C. (1997). Aristotle’s De Motu Animalium and the Theory of Animal Souls. Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy, 13, 45-83.
• Reeve, C. D. C. (2000). Philosophy and the Virtues. Oxford University Press.
• Ross, W. D. (2009). Aristotle. Routledge.
• Irwin, T. (1999). Aristotle’s First Principles. Oxford University Press.
• Hackett, J. (2006). Virtue and Happiness in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press.
• Annas, J. (1993). The Morality of Happiness. Oxford University Press.
• Broadie, S. (2002). Aristotle’s Doctrine of Virtue. Oxford University Press.