Essay on "Greek Philosophy"

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Greek Philosophy: The Good Life

Today, the idea of the "good" may be applied to various components in life. Generally, the concept is accepted to refer to either something moral or pleasing. A good meal, for example, is pleasing to the senses. A good person is considered to be morally sound. When considering the idea of good, however, few would go very deeply into the idea of what exactly this constitutes. Most people assume that they have a relatively common concept of what "good" means. One might, however, reasonably question this assumption, especially in a world that has become increasingly integrated and accessible in terms of culture and communication. Indeed, more than ever before, it has become clear that concepts like "good" are flexible, depending upon cultural, ethnic, and other non-uniform values. For this reason, Aristotle's philosophy of "the good life" is worth examining for the possible value it can bring to what we consider to be a good life in today's world.

In Book I of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle devotes a large amount of time to determine the nature of a good life. He begins by discarding common concepts of the good life that cannot be applied exclusively to human beings as well as those that do not stand up to closer scrutiny and the application of "good." Aristotle considers happiness as a possible synonym for a "good" life. The state of happiness, however, fluctuates on a daily basis, depending on external conditions. For his reason, happiness cannot be the same as good, since being devastated by misfortune does not make a person bad. The philosopher, however, does connect happiness to activities that can be controlled, such as "noble acts." In terms

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of this connection, Aristotle argues that animals cannot be said to be happy or "good," since they have no concept of what it means to be noble. In this way, Aristotle provides a bridge towards his concept of connecting virtuous acts with the "good" in life. Aristotle's main argument is therefore that a person who engages consistently in "virtuous activities," because the happiness connected to these is far more permanent than what happiness can be brought about by material gain or stability. The "good life," therefore, is one that is filled with virtue.

I agree with Aristotle on his point, in that engaging in what we consider to be virtuous activities will bring about happiness. People who are seen living a life in this way are also considered to be good. Aristotle does acknowledge, however, that the concept of "virtue" cannot remain undefined. The same is true today. Before we can claim anyone to be "good" or "ethical," one must first define what is meant by this concept. In today's terms, I believe that a "good" action is any activity that focuses on creating something better for another person, an animal, or the environment. To be truly good, such activities must be unconnected to any expectation of personal gain. This, today, is what can be regarded as "good" in terms of virtue or ethics. In Book II of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defines virtue as a "mean" between the… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Greek Philosophy" Assignment:

“

Select one of the following topics and discuss concisely:

1. How can Plato extend his account of justice in Republic Book 4 from the level of the social to the level of the individual? Given Plato*****s views about method, what status can we give the extension?

2. The images presented late in Book VI and early in Book VII of Republic can be taken as a sketch of a theory both of forms of cognition and fundamental reality. Can you explain why someone might think so? Is there any reason to think it might not be Plato*****s final word?

3. Plato treats the organization attributed to things as a reality apart from those things. ***** treats the organization as inherent in them. Sketch a reason for ***** to reject Plato*****s view. Outline his own simplest account of the relation between what a thing is and the individual so characterized.

4. ***** can be thought of as trying to reconcile the concern of Parmenides and Plato with permanent realties with the Heraclitean concern with change. How would he account for the orderly change in things?

5. What, according to *****, does a good life involve?

OBJECTION: Whatever position you take, you are required to formulate a good objection to your

own position, and then reply to it in your paper. Essays that do not are incomplete. Consider:

(a) What might an intelligent but critical reader argue against you? If you are attacking a

specific author, you could also consider what they might hypothetically reply to your

argument. (Try not to give yourself a Ã¢â‚¬ËœsoftballÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ objection. The stronger the objection,

the better your essay is likely to be.)

(b) How would you rebut this criticism of your position, or adapt your position to avoid

it? (Try to avoid simply repeating your earlier argument, or shrugging the criticism off

by saying Ã¢â‚¬A"There are lots of different views on this topic.Ã¢â‚¬Â Aim to either defeat or

accommodate the objection: mentioning

- Your argument must do more than restate an argument from one of our readings,

including readings not referred to in the essay topic. It is perfectly acceptable to discuss, endorse,

or build off of such arguments, but you still need to find a way to demonstrate your own critical

engagement with the material. (You should choose a topic with this in mind: if you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t think of

anything more to say about a topic than what the readings in question say already, it isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t the

topic you should write on.) *****

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