October 12
Monday, October 12, 2020Plenary – Chapel
The Elements of Virtue
In this class we continue our study of Aristotle's understanding of the good life in the Nicomachean Ethics, focusing on what virtue is and how we develop a virtuous state of character in selections from Books II, III, VIII, and IX. As part of this focus, we'll examine Aristotle's "particularist" approach to moral philosophy, his "doctrine of the mean," and his views on the role of pleasure, volition, and friendship in a good life.
Goals
Goals
- Develop a better sense of Aristotle’s notion of virtue (aretē) and how we become virtuous
- Explore how our nature as rational animals is continuous for Aristotle with our nature as emotional and pleasure-seeking animals
- Understand the sense in which Aristotle is a “particularist” when it comes to ethical reasoning
- Consider blindspots in Aristotle’s thinking and challenges for his understanding of the good life
Before Class
Watch This
Read This
Do This
Watch This
- Begin by watching the excerpt from the interview above between Martha Nussbaum and Bryan Magee, filmed for the BBC in 1987 (N.B. notice at the beginning that Magee contrasts Aristotle’s approach to moral philosophy with a utilitarian approach that focuses on “happiness,” where by this Magee means “pleasure,” which is not Aristotle’s view of happiness as eudaimonia)
- Next, please do the reading ⟹
Read This
- Read and annotate selections from Books II, III, VIII, and IX from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics in Perusall
- Finally, see “Do This” on the next tab ⟹
Do This
- As you do the reading, see if you can get a good sense of the various components of a life of virtue for Aristotle.
After Class
Further Resources
Further Resources
- “Aristotle’s Ethics” – entry from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Richard Kraut)
- “The Discernment of Perception: An Aristotelian Conception of Private and Public Rationality” – a close study and presentation of Aristotle’s conception of rationality (Martha Nussbaum)
- Video on Aristotle and Virtue Theory – a crash course on Aristotle’s ethical theory for PBS Digital Studios
- Video of Zoom feed for this session
- Live Like an Aristotelian Week starts tomorrow!