Introduction
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who flourished during Greece’s Classical Period. He is regarded as one of Western philosophy’s greatest philosophers, and his theories have affected numerous subjects, including politics, ethics, and biology. This is an examination of three major topics in Aristotle’s philosophy. Aristotle was born in Stagira, a tiny village in northern Greece, around 384 BC; later, he was a Plato student who instructed Alexander the Great (Filotas, 2021).
The philosophy of Aristotle is founded on the concept of teleology, which states that everything has a purpose or a goal. Eudaimonia is a condition of thriving or well-being. According to Aristotle, eudaimonia is attained by virtuous action and a contemplative life (Filotas, 2021). He believed that achieving eudaimonia—which is commonly interpreted as happiness but actually means much more—is the ultimate goal of human life.
Virtue Ethics
Aristotle’s ethical theory is based on virtue ethics. He felt that virtues are habits or dispositions that allow us to act rationally. Practice and habituation help to acquire virtues. Aristotle defined two types of virtues: moral and intellectual virtues. Moral qualities are acquired by habit and practice, and they help us to act rationally in our social relationships. Intellectual qualities are acquired via schooling and help us to reason well about theoretical issues.
According to Aristotle, the highest aim of human existence is to attain eudaimonia by virtuous action (Filotas, 2021). He considered goodness to be the middle ground between two extremes. Courage, for example, is a middle ground between cowardice and recklessness. The ethical philosophy of Aristotle is sometimes compared with deontological ethics, which emphasizes obligation and laws, and consequentialist ethics, which emphasizes the consequences of acts.
Theory of the Forms
Plato’s notion of forms is a critique of Aristotle’s idea of forms. Plato believed in a universe of abstract things or forms that exist outside of the actual world. There is, for example, a type of beauty that exists irrespective of attractive items in the physical world.
Aristotle disagreed, arguing that forms are not distinct from real objects. Forms, he argued, are inherent in physical objects and can only be comprehended empirically (Leigh & Hampson, 2022). The criticism of Plato’s theory of forms by Aristotle is noteworthy because it symbolizes a transition in philosophical thought from abstract metaphysical speculation to actual observation and research. Aristotle thought that knowledge is gained via observation and experience, and he stressed the necessity of empirical research in scientific study.
Politics
The polis, or city-state, is central to Aristotle’s political philosophy. He felt that the ultimate objective of the polis was to promote the common good, which is accomplished by instilling virtue in its inhabitants. Aristotle classified governments into three types: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. He felt that a composite constitution including features of all three systems of governance was the ideal form of government.
Aristotle’s political theory is frequently contrasted with Thomas Hobbes’, John Locke’s, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s social contract theory (Gregoric & Fink, 2021). The legitimacy of government, according to social contract theorists, is founded on a hypothetical agreement between citizens to give up part of their fundamental rights in exchange for protection and security. In contrast, Aristotle’s political theory is based on the concept of the common good and the cultivation of virtue in its citizens.
Conclusion
Finally, Aristotle’s philosophy is a rich and comprehensive philosophical system that has had a great impact on Western philosophy and society. In this research paper, I examined three major themes of Aristotle’s philosophy: virtue ethics, the theory of the forms, and politics. Aristotle’s moral theory is based on the principles of virtue ethics, which emphasizes the value of virtuous action in attaining eudaimonia. Aristotle’s critique of Plato’s theory of forms signaled a change in philosophical thought away from abstract metaphysical speculation and toward actual observation and study. Lastly, Aristotle’s political philosophy is founded on the concept of the common good and the development of virtue in its citizens.
References
Filotas, Z. (2021). Aristotle and the Ethics of Difference, Friendship, and Equality: The Plurality of Rule. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gregoric, P., & Fink, J. L. (2021). Encounters with Aristotelian Philosophy of Mind. Routledge.
Leigh, F., & Hampson, M. (2022). Psychology and Value in Plato, Aristotle, and Hellenistic Philosophy: The Ninth Keeling Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy. Oxford University Press.