2014-2-PHI110-04

__NOTITLE__ Studying 2014/2 PHI110: Philosophy, Morality and Society. Week 4. Undertaken Study Period 2, 2014. Content is quoted and/or summarised from the university website in fair dealing for purpose of research or study. See also: StudyWISE and AIMS.

Aristotle's Ethics

This week, we will examine Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. After Plato (and Socrates), Aristotle is one of the most influential philosophers in history; neo-Aristotelianism remains a live option in moral philosophy today.

Like the other Greek philosophers, the primary object of Aristotle's inquiry is to examine the nature of the good life: this will turn out to be a life of rational activities comprising a general state of well-being where we are also able to 'do well' in life. This is 'happiness' or Eudaimonia (faring well, doing well, living well). But what are our common ideas of happiness?

Links

Herewith a list of further reading:

• Aristotle
• Nicomachean Ethics
• Lyceum (Classical)

Lectures

• Lecture 7
• Lecture 8

Notes

• Week 4: Lecture 7: Aristotle on Happiness (Eudaimonia) (original)
• Week 4: Lecture 8 (original)

Questions

• Reading questions for week 4 (original)

Readings

Readings downloaded from e-Reserve.

• Blackburn, Simon. "Being good and living well" in Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics, Blackburn, Simon, 2001, 112-116 (original)
• Aristotle; Ross, W. D.; Urmson, J. O. "Nicomachean ethics (extract)" in Complete Works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation, Aristotle; Barnes, Jonathan, 1984, 1729-1742 (original)
• Aristotle; Solomon, Robert; Greene, Jennifer. "Extract" in Morality and the Good Life: An Introduction to Ethics Through Classical Sources, Solomon, Robert; Greene, Jennifer, 1999, 82-95 (original)

Answers

TODO: answer the reading questions.

Activities

• Discussion Forum for Week 4: Aristotle's Ethics
• Self Test Quiz - Week 04 Aristotle's Ethics
• Week 4 review: What have you learnt? (original)

Work

TODO

Things to do, most important on top:

• Listen to the Lectures
• Read the Lecture notes
• Read the Questions
• Read the Readings
• Answer the Questions
• Do the Activities

Done

Things that are done, most recent on top:

Glossary

Herewith a list of new and/or interesting words and selected definitions:

nicomachean

nicomachean

Of or pertaining to some ancient Greek named Nicomachus; particularly, either Nicomachus, physician to Amyntas II., King of Macedonia, and the father of Aristotle, the philosopher, or Nicomachus the Younger, a son of Aristotle, who, like his father and grandfather, was also an author.

the “Ethics of Aristotle,” said to have been published by Nicomachus the Younger after his father's death.

Nicomachean Ethics

Nicomachean Ethics

The Nicomachean Ethics is the name normally given to Aristotle's best-known work on ethics. The work, which plays a pre-eminent role in defining Aristotelian ethics, consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes from his lectures at the Lyceum, which were either edited by or dedicated to Aristotle's son, Nicomachus.

eudemonia

eudemonia

A state of pleasant well-being.

A person’s state of excellence characterized by objective flourishing across a lifetime, and brought about through the exercise of moral virtue, practical wisdom, and rationality.