Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
• One ought to choose the intermediate: not excess nor defect.
• Life is about having a balance, ratio, practical wisdom
• A good ruler should not be a philosopher, he should have the practical
wisdom
• There are two parts of the soul: which possesses reason and which is
irrational
• With intellectual virtue of prudence or practical wisdom (phronesis)
man is able to deliberate what is good about himself
• Prudence is the kind of intelligence that helps us reason properly
about practical matters. Having the right motives is a matter of having all of the moral virtues, but choosing the right course of action is a matter of prudence.
• Practical wisdom: knowing how to act
• Aristotle’s ultimate conclusion that rational contemplation is the
highest good is based on a teleological conception of human nature.
• According to Aristotle, everything in nature has a telos, or end goal.
• According to Aristotle, the "distinctive activity" of humans is our
capacity for rational thought. For that reason, the exercise of our
rational powers is our telos, the highest good we can achieve.
• Potentiality of human being, excellence, process
• Wisdom produce happiness
• Normally translated as “happiness,” eudaimonia also carries
connotations of success and fulfilment. For the Greeks, happiness is not an inner, emotional state, but the activity, or energeia, of a successful person.
• Happiness is a virtuous act, process
Aristotle gives some clues about how to live properly. For him, life is about having a balance, choosing the intermediate between two extremes. A good ruler must have practical wisdom (phronesis). It helps deliberate properly about practical actions. We have a potential which can be actualized in the process of life.
Keywords: virtue, golden mean, ratio, practical wisdom, prudence, theoretical wisdom, reason, rational contemplation, telos, potentiality, excellence, process, becoming, happiness, eudaimonia, wisdom
• One ought to choose the intermediate: not excess nor defect.
• Life is about having a balance, ratio, practical wisdom
• A good ruler should not be a philosopher, he should have the practical
wisdom
• There are two parts of the soul: which possesses reason and which is
irrational
• With intellectual virtue of prudence or practical wisdom (phronesis)
man is able to deliberate what is good about himself
• Prudence is the kind of intelligence that helps us reason properly
about practical matters. Having the right motives is a matter of having all of the moral virtues, but choosing the right course of action is a matter of prudence.
• Practical wisdom: knowing how to act
• Aristotle’s ultimate conclusion that rational contemplation is the
highest good is based on a teleological conception of human nature.
• According to Aristotle, everything in nature has a telos, or end goal.
• According to Aristotle, the "distinctive activity" of humans is our
capacity for rational thought. For that reason, the exercise of our
rational powers is our telos, the highest good we can achieve.
• Potentiality of human being, excellence, process
• Wisdom produce happiness
• Normally translated as “happiness,” eudaimonia also carries
connotations of success and fulfilment. For the Greeks, happiness is not an inner, emotional state, but the activity, or energeia, of a successful person.
• Happiness is a virtuous act, process
Aristotle gives some clues about how to live properly. For him, life is about having a balance, choosing the intermediate between two extremes. A good ruler must have practical wisdom (phronesis). It helps deliberate properly about practical actions. We have a potential which can be actualized in the process of life.
Keywords: virtue, golden mean, ratio, practical wisdom, prudence, theoretical wisdom, reason, rational contemplation, telos, potentiality, excellence, process, becoming, happiness, eudaimonia, wisdom