Term Paper on "Apply Aristotle's Theory to a Decision From Middlemarch and a Decision From the Surrounded"
Term Paper 4 pages (1338 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA
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Aristotle's theory to a decsion from Middlemarch and a decsion from "The Surronded"Rational Choice in Middlemarch and the Surrounded
Aristotle's the Nicomachean Ethics is a long-standing philosophical work which discusses virtue and morality. According to Aristotle, virtue is directly connected with rational choice and the difference between a good and a bad character is given by the decisions an individual makes. In Middlemarch, Rosamond's decision to receive Dorothea's visit is a turning point in the plot. Rosamond is a manipulative woman, who pursues solely social advancement and longs for a genteel life in the ranks of aristocracy. She marries Lydgate in the same pursuit of financial interest and she soon loses interest in him when she realizes she has plunged him deep into debt. When Rosamond's flirtatious advances are rejected by Will Ladislaw, she is shocked and her vanity is finally bent. Her decision to see her rival, Dorothea, is made out of psychological weakness rather than moral strength. She is still shaken by her encounter with Will the previous day, and her pride is terribly wounded. As such, despite the fact that she fears more humiliation in her encounter with Dorothea, she accepts to see her in the hope that she might exonerate herself to a certain degree. Thus, she accepts the meeting simply because she is still dazzled by the recent, painful events.
Catharine, is the mother of the main hero in the Surrounded. Although an American Indian, she had been christened as a very young child and has strictly obeyed the rules of this religion for the most part of her life. However, she decides to relinquish the Christian religion and follow
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Rosamond's decision is insubstantial, since she only reacts the way she does because of her wounded vanity and her inability to face the events of the previous day and her confrontation with Will. On the other hand, Catharina's decision to change her religion and re-convert to her own traditional religion is a token of moral strength and of her ability to acknowledge her own traditions despite the white cultural heritage that 'surrounds' her people.
In the second book of the Ethics, Aristotle defines the relation between character and virtue as being mediated by or depending on the two antagonist feelings of pleasure and pain. Aristotle's proposition that virtue is about pleasure and pain implies that goodness is inevitably related to the feelings that accompany an action. Moreover, according to Aristotle, rational decision or choice is the basis of a virtuous character: "Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice..."(Aristotle, 43) Rational choice distinguishes actually between the good and the bad characters of certain individuals. While every person searches for what is good for him or her, this may be nevertheless only the appearance of goodness.
Rosamond's decision to see Dorothea is not based on a distinct rational choice. Virtue is a mode of choice, but Rosamond hardly makes an ethical decision since she merely feels unable to say no when Lydgate announces the unexpected visit: "Rosamond dared not say no. She dared not with a tone of her voice touch the facts of yesterday."(Eliot, 850) Thus, while her decision is right, it is obviously that she does not token nobility in receiving Dorothea but only the inability to act differently or relive the humiliation she had passed through the previous day. Thus,… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Apply Aristotle's Theory to a Decision From Middlemarch and a Decision From the Surrounded" Assignment:
“Request to use ***** username: ***** Brebenel.
Assignment #4: Applying *****s* theory to the following decision from Middlemarch** in chapter 81 where Rosamond*****s decision to speak to Dorothea and to a decision from *****The Surrounded******** where Catharine*****s decision to change her religion.
The paper needs to be organized in the following three steps below with an emphasis on the application of *****s theory in Step 2.
Step 1: a) Describe the process by which each agent reached a decision- be brief to leave room for your application of *****s theory. b) Very briefly state your own pretheoretical opinion of each agent*****s decision, and the reasons for that opinion.
Step 2: Describe the decision each agent would have reached, and the process by which he or she would have reached it, if the agent had used *****s theory to make the decision be sure to clearly set out your reasons for thinking that *****s theory would yield the results you claim.
Step 3: Based on your discussion of steps 1 and 2, make any conclusions about *****s ethical theory that you think are appropriate.
I'll fax additional materials that should provide added support to complete this request.
******. The Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. ***** Ross. Rev. by J.L. Ackrill and J.O. Urmson: Oxford University Press, 1998.
** Eliot, George. Middlemarch. New York: Penguin, 1984.
*** McNickle, D*****Arcy. The Surrounded. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1965.
*****
How to Reference "Apply Aristotle's Theory to a Decision From Middlemarch and a Decision From the Surrounded" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Apply Aristotle's Theory to a Decision From Middlemarch and a Decision From the Surrounded.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2008, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/aristotle-theory-decsion/527957. Accessed 29 Sep 2024.
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