Aristotle

1
Aristotle

• October 22, 2007

2
Aristotle the Stagirite

• Born in Stagira
• Studied 20 years under Plato
• Started own school, Lyceum
• Tutored Alexander the Great
• Interests wide and varied biology, logic,
  literary criticism, poetry, rhetoric, ethics,
  metaphysics, and politics

3
Happiness the Purpose of Man

• Nature gives all things a purpose
• Mans purpose flourishing (happiness)
• A virtuous activity
• Achieving happiness is limited by material
  necessities and fortune

4
The Golden Mean

• Virtue
• A character trait
• Lying in a mean
• Determined by reason
• And prudence

• The Golden Mean
• Between 2 extremes
• Example
• Courage between rashness and cowardice
• The mean is a kind of excellence

5
Aristotle on Tragedy

• Representation of a serious action
• Most important element plot
• Effective devices
• Reversal
• Discovery
• Calamity
• Tragedy excites pity and fear in audience

6
Plato vs. Aristotle

• Plato
• Material world not the true reality
• Soul trapped inside the body
• We learn by contemplating forms
• Virtue through education (forms)

• Aristotle
• Material world IS the true reality
• Soul is the full potential of the body
• We learn through experience
• Virtue in the Golden Mean