The monumental importance of Aristotle's philosophy on Western
thought cannot be overstated. It has overshadowed the entire field
of philosophical and political thought for well over two millennia.
Along with Socrates and Plato, Aristotle is considered to be among
the foremost philosophers of all time. His philosophical views have
cast a long shadow and continue to be required reading for students
at most intuitions of higher learning throughout the world.
The Ethics of Aristotle is one half of a single treatise of
which his Politics is the other half. Both deal with one and the
same subject. This subject is what Aristotle calls in one place the
"philosophy of human affairs; " but more frequently Political or
Social Science. In the two works taken together we have their
author's whole theory of human conduct or practical activity, that
is, of all human activity, which is not directed merely to
knowledge or truth. The two parts of this treatise are mutually
complementary, but in a literary sense each is independent and
self-contained.
In these two major works, Aristotle assumes the characteristic
Platonic view that all men seek the good, and go wrong through
ignorance, not through evil will. The end of all action, individual
or collective, is the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
There is, Aristotle insists, no difference of kind between the good
of one and the good of many or all. He naturally regards the state
as a community that exists for the sake of the good life. It is in
the state that that common seeking after the good, which is the
profoundest truth about men and nature, becomes explicit and knows
itself. Hence for Aristotle as for Plato, the natural state orthe
state as such is the ideal state, and the ideal state is the
starting-point of political inquiry.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
