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Intro To Aristotle Class 4 Sept 15

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28 views4 pages

Intro To Aristotle Class 4 Sept 15

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vaw825uga
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1. Who is Aristotle?

 Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and scientist, one of the most
influential thinkers in Western philosophy.
 He was a student of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great. Aristotle’s
work covers many subjects, including logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, biology,
and poetics.
2. Aristotle’s Philosophy
Aristotle’s philosophy is rooted in empiricism, which emphasizes knowledge derived
from sensory experience and observation, in contrast to Plato’s emphasis on ideal
forms and abstract reasoning.
3. Major Works of Aristotle
 Nicomachean Ethics: Focuses on moral philosophy, virtue, and the good life.
 Politics: Explores the nature of human society, government, and justice.
 Metaphysics: Investigates the nature of reality, being, and substance.
 Organon: A collection of works on logic, including syllogistic reasoning.
 Poetics: Discusses the theory of tragedy, poetry, and dramatic structure.
4. Key Concepts in Aristotle’s Philosophy
A. Substance and Reality
 Substance (Ousia): For Aristotle, the most basic reality is "substance," which
refers to individual entities that exist independently. These include things like
people, animals, and physical objects.
 Essence and Accident: Every substance has an essence (its core nature), and
it also has accidents (qualities that it can lose or change without ceasing to be
that thing).
 Form and Matter: Unlike Plato, Aristotle argued that form (the nature of
something) and matter (the material it is made of) cannot exist separately.
Everything is a combination of both.
o Form: The essence or blueprint of a thing.

o Matter: The physical substance of a thing.

B. The Four Causes


 Aristotle proposed that to understand anything, one must identify four types of
causes:
1. Material Cause: The physical substance out of which something is made.
2. Formal Cause: The blueprint or design of the thing (its form).
3. Efficient Cause: The agent or process that brings something into being
(e.g., a sculptor making a statue).
4. Final Cause: The purpose or end goal for which something exists (its
function or telos).
C. Potentiality and Actuality
 Potentiality (Dynamis): Refers to the inherent capacity of something to be or do
something in the future.
 Actuality (Entelecheia): The fulfillment or realization of that potential. Every
object or being has a purpose and strives to achieve its full potential.
D. The Doctrine of the Mean (Virtue Ethics)
 In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argued that virtue lies in the balance
between extremes. Virtue is about finding the golden mean—a balanced,
moderate approach to emotions and actions, avoiding excess and deficiency.
o Example: Courage is a virtue between the extremes of cowardice
(deficiency) and recklessness (excess).
 Eudaimonia (Happiness or Flourishing): For Aristotle, the ultimate goal of life
is to achieve eudaimonia, which is living well and fulfilling one’s potential. This is
achieved through the practice of virtue.
E. Ethics and the Good Life
 Telos (Purpose): Every individual and object has a natural purpose or goal. The
human telos is to live a rational and virtuous life.
 Rationality: Human beings are defined by their capacity for reason, and by living
according to reason, we achieve happiness.
 Virtue: The habitual disposition to act according to reason, in accordance with
the golden mean. Aristotle emphasizes developing virtue through practice and
habituation.
 Friendship: Aristotle also discusses friendship, which he sees as a key element
of the good life. Friendship is based on mutual respect and shared virtues.
F. Politics and Society
 The State: In Politics, Aristotle argues that humans are naturally social animals
and that the polis (city-state) is the highest form of community for achieving the
good life.
 Best Form of Government: He classifies governments into three ideal forms:
1. Monarchy: Rule by one person for the common good.
2. Aristocracy: Rule by a few virtuous people.
3. Polity: A mixed government, combining elements of democracy and
oligarchy.
o Each of these forms can deteriorate into corrupt versions: Tyranny,
Oligarchy, and Democracy (which he saw as mob rule).
 Citizenship and Justice: Aristotle believes that justice is giving each person
what they deserve and that a just society fosters the flourishing of its citizens.
G. Logic and Syllogism
 Logic: Aristotle is often called the father of formal logic. In his work Organon, he
introduced syllogism, a form of deductive reasoning.
o Syllogism: A logical argument with two premises and a conclusion. If both
premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.
o Example of Syllogism:

1. All humans are mortal.


2. Socrates is a human.
3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
H. The Unmoved Mover (Prime Mover)
 In Metaphysics, Aristotle introduces the idea of the Unmoved Mover—an
eternal, unchanging force that causes motion and change in the universe without
itself being moved or changed. This is his argument for the existence of a First
Cause.
 The Unmoved Mover is pure actuality, without potentiality, and is the final cause
of all movement and change in the universe.
5. Influence of Aristotle
 Aristotelianism: Aristotle’s works have deeply influenced Western thought,
particularly in ethics, politics, logic, and metaphysics.
 His ideas shaped medieval scholarship, especially during the Scholasticism
period, where thinkers like Thomas Aquinas integrated Aristotle’s philosophy
with Christian doctrine.
 Modern philosophy, science, and logic also draw heavily from Aristotle's work.
6. Criticisms and Challenges
 Aristotle's reliance on empirical observation and categorization led to some ideas
that are now considered outdated, particularly in his biological and scientific
theories.
 His teleological view (the idea that everything has a purpose or end) has been
challenged by more modern, scientific approaches to evolution and natural
processes.

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