Socrates and Aristotle on virtue philosophy essay
The philosopher Socrates remains, as he was during his lifetime, an enigma, an inscrutable individual who, despite not having written anything, is considered one of the few philosophers who forever changed the way philosophy itself was to be understood. All our information about him is second hand and most of it. Plato's dialogue is therefore not so much a guide to moral virtue as it is a blueprint for the act of Socratic dialogue, which Plato believed was the right way. practicing philosophy. While such things are indeed beneficial to those of us who practice philosophy, The Meno lacks a special directness, a brevity that we could have. Aristotle's most famous teacher was Plato c. 428-c. who himself had been a student of Socrates c. 470 - Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, whose lives spanned a period of only a few years, remain among the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy. Aristotle's most famous student: The answer, according to Socrates, is virtue. Being virtuous means doing as much as possible and being good and according to Socrates this is the most precious quality a person can have. The biggest advantage is that you are as good and wise as possible, he says 36c. And by being good or virtuous, you make yourself literate. The eminent philosopher and classical scholar Alexander Nehamas presents here a collection of his most important essays on Plato and Socrates. The articles are united in theme by the idea that Plato, the philosopher Socrates, remains, like him during his lifetime in 469 - CE, an enigma, an inscrutable individual who, despite having written nothing, is considered one of the few philosophers that have changed forever. how philosophy itself was to be conceived. All our information about him is second hand and most of it. Most of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics discusses the life of moral virtue, practiced in accordance with practical reasoning, a life understood in the opening passages as necessary for happiness or eudaimonia. although this is not sufficient as some degree of external goods is also required. This is the position that was considered Aristotelian in antiquity. Because Socrates wrote little about his life or work, much of what we know comes from his student Plato. Plato 428 427-348 . CE studied ethics, virtue, justice, and other ideas related to human behavior. Following in Socrates' footsteps, he became a teacher and inspired the work of the next great Greek philosopher, Aristotle. Nietzsche also believes in human excellence, and agrees with Aristotle that there is a biological component to this, and although he would certainly deny this on grumpy days, a social component: we are deeply self-ignorant and need other people to help us achieve our achieve goals. Plato's dialogue is therefore less a guide to moral virtue than a blueprint for the act of Socratic dialogue, which Plato believed was the proper way to put philosophy into practice. While such, See below, p. 111, ff. And. To the Laches we can add the evidence of Aristotle, who holds the biconditionality thesis but finds the unity of Socrates' virtue thesis too strong. It follows that Aristotle understood Socrates to be committed to something stronger than the biconditionality thesis. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics VI. Defining Aristotle's virtue ethics. Aristotle 384- is one of the most influential philosophers in history, and he turned his gaze to a dizzying array of topics: including metaphysics, politics, art, biology, and more. When it comes to human behavior and.