Preview

Aristotle Essay

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
328 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Aristotle Essay
A relativist would react to “What makes you happy might be one thing, but what makes another person happy could be entirely different, so do not impose your lifestyle on other people” by agreeing with the statement about not inflicting your lifestyle on someone else. Relativists believe you cannot urge morality on others. Even if it is someone who you share a primary relationship with, you can not make any judgement on what decisions they make. Relativists do not judge others, so if something very immoral makes you happy, a relativist can not impose on your choice of being immoral. Relativism says that all culture is good and all culture is bad; it’s the same thing as happiness, it can be good or bad but you can not judge a persons happiness whether it is good or bad. Overall, a relativist would never impose on someone’s lifestyle even if something totally different makes them happy, or even if what makes one happy is completely wrong and immoral. Aristotle’s beliefs are somewhat different than a moral relativists. Aristotle believed that a good life is a happy life, and that happiness and virtue are directly related. Virtue is the ultimate goal that everyone should strive for. If what makes you happy is good and moral, then it is acceptable to impose your lifestyle on other people. Aristotle would disagree with the moral relativists standpoint because a good life should make anyone happy, while moral relativists believe each persons happiness can come from completely different ways of life. For example, someone who finds happiness from stealing does not live a virtuous life, and they should not impose their lifestyle on others. From the prompt, Aristotle would answer a moral relativist; if what makes you happy is a good thing that will help you become a virtuous person you can impose your lifestyle on other people, however if your happiness is immoral and negative you should not impose it on
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Shaw: Morality and Ethical Relativism
    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shaw: Morality and Ethical Relativism

    Ethical relativism is a concept in which most simple minded individuals adhere to. According to definition in the chapter, ethical relativism is the normative theory that what is right is what the culture or individual says is right. Shaw argues that it is not very plausible to say that ethical relativism is determined by what a person thinks is right and wrong. He gives reason that it “collapses the distinction between thinking something is right and it’s actually being right.” Ethical relativism may be justified occasionally. William H. Shaw examines ethical relativism by providing comprehensive examples on why relativism is a weak method in gaining morals.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Examples Of Ethical Relativism
    • 123 Words
    • 1 Page

    Examples Of Ethical Relativism

    Many people are lead to adopt Ethical Relativism because they believe that it justifies their view that one ought to be tolerant of the different behavior of people in other cultures. However, Ethical Relativism does not really justify tolerance at all. All around the world, there are different types of cultures, which have different ethical values that will be correct according to their cultures. Nevertheless, some people might argue about different cultures that have different moral codes that they can not accept; examples: polygamy and infanticide. On the other hand, Ethical Relativism proposes that we can stop the criticism and be more tolerant with other cultures. To illustrate, we could no longer say that custom of other societies…

    • 123 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Moral Relativism In Trying Out One's New Chores
    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Moral Relativism In Trying Out One's New Chores

    Moral relativism is one’s perception of what is acknowledged to be morally just or unjust depending on accepted demeanor. Certain behaviors and manners that a specific culture may consider to be acceptable, another culture may consider to be unethical. In such an instance, neither one of the cultures would be incorrect. Morals are culturally defined in that it originates from the root as to what is considered socially acceptable.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle Research Paper
    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Aristotle Research Paper

    Aristotle is one of the most well known philosophers in history. He was born in 384 BC in Stagira, which is in Macedonia. His father was personal physician to the king of Macedonia at that time, Amyntas. He lived until 322 BC when he died at a family estate in Euboea. Aristotle is credited with many great accomplishments during his time. He was pupil to a great mind, as well as a teacher to great leaders. Aristotle's thinking was beyond his time and rivaled the worldview at the time.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle's Life Of Contemplation Essay
    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Aristotle's Life Of Contemplation Essay

    The argument is also sound. I have already proven its validity, now I must show that the conclusion is actually true. If Aristotle is going to claim that one cannot reach a state of happiness without being engaged in virtuous action, then it does logically follow that this type of unfailing virtue that Aristotle so vividly describes cannot possibly be reached without contemplative action. Some opposing views of Aristotle say that a life totally based off acts of contemplation is not realistic in our world. But Aristotle is careful to note, in response to this issue, that of course, living a life fully dedicated towards contemplation is too high of a life for humans (Bk. X, Ch. 7). Rather, contemplation is a divine, internal presence within a person. When situations arise that do not…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Evaluate 
Rachel's 
Arguments 
Against 
Cultural
 Relativism
    • 1686 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Evaluate 
Rachel's 
Arguments 
Against 
Cultural
 Relativism

    Cultural relativism, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “Is the thesis that a person’s culture strongly influences her modes of perception and thought” Most cultural relativists add to this definition saying that there is no standard of morality. This means that morality is relative to the particular society that one lives in. Prominent ethicist James Rachels has written against this view in his work titled The Challenge of Cultural Relativism. This paper will be focused on evaluating Rachels’ critique of cultural relativism, and whether it was right for him to endorse objective moral realism. Rachels defines this as “a standard that might be reasonably used in thinking about any social practice whatever. We may ask whether the practice promotes or hinders the welfare of people whose lives are affected by it.” That is the moral worth of an action is based upon how it contributes to the society from which it operates in.…

    • 1686 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle By Billy Collins Analysis
    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Aristotle By Billy Collins Analysis

    Presumably, the poem “Aristotle” is an adaptation to Aristotle's conceptions on tragedies, in which a tragedy must contain a beginning, middle, and end. Throughout the poem there are unequivocal transitions telling the audience the when the beginning, middle, and end have arrived. Furthermore, the tile may also allude to the way the poem will be written. Since Aristotle was a well renowned philosopher, the poem may contain reflections upon certain actions, that lead to misfortunes found in tragedies. However, I also find the poem’s title, although being appropriate for the piece, to be partially ironic. This is due to the concept that poetry has no determined ending whereas, according to Aristotle, tragedies do have closure for the audience.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle: the Nicomachean Ethics
    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Aristotle: the Nicomachean Ethics

    In these two books, Aristotle talked about friendship. He started by stating what the three different types of friendship are. The first type is when it is based on utility. This type of friendship is all about getting a benefit from someone else, and it will change according to circumstances. If a person doesn’t get benefits from the other anymore, the friendship will cease to be present. Benefits don’t have to be the only ground for friendship of this type, but there are definitely clear benefits involved. One example of this type of friendship Aristotle gave was friendships with foreigners. The second type of friendship is based on pleasure. In this type, you find the other person entertaining, and it is more about the experience of being near the person than anything else. This type is common between young people because young people’s lives are regulated by feelings. These friendships come and go often, and the friend doesn’t bring much to the friendship. The last type of friendship is based on goodness. This is when two “good” people are friends for the sake of each other. Both people in this friendship wish for the good of the other, and this type of relationship is most durable. Aristotle considered this type to be the perfect friendship. He didn’t care for the first two types because they are both short-lived, and they are circumstantial (Pgs. 203-208).…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle Ethics
    • 1919 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Aristotle Ethics

    Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics provides a sensible account for what true moral virtue is and how one may go about attaining it. Aristotle covers many topics that help reach this conclusion. One of them being the idea of mean between the extremes. Although Aristotle provided a reliable account for many philosophers to follow, Rosalind Hursthouse along with many others finds lose ends and topics which can be easily misinterpreted in Aristotle's writing.…

    • 1919 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analyzing Aristotle
    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analyzing Aristotle

    1) The soul and the body are different forms. While the body is visible and mortal, the soul is invisible and immortal. He suggests that although the body dies and decays, the soul continues to exist. I do believe there is life after death, everyone must eventually die, and it cannot be avoided. However, even though death is a fact of life, it is a topic that many people prefer not to talk about. This avoidance of discussion is usually due to the denial of one’s own death and the denial is usually due to fear. The fear is, for many people, a fear of the unknown. In my opinion i believe that when humans die, the body and the brain dies, but the mind still exists and it creates our afterlife according to our own beliefs and expectations. If a person believes there in nothing after death then there will not be a dream, it will be as if the person is asleep forever without dreaming.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ethics and Aristotle
    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ethics and Aristotle

    A married couple, both addicted to drugs, is unable to care for their infant daughter. She is taken from them by court order and placed in a foster home. The years passed. She comes to regard her foster parents as her real parents. They love her as they would their own daughter. When the child is 9 years old, the natural parents, rehabilitated from drugs, begin court action to regain custody. The case is decided in their favor. The child is returned to them, against her will. Do ethics support the law in this case? Discuss.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle's Beliefs
    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Aristotle's Beliefs

    Aristotle believed that all people by nature desire to know. A sign of one who knows is that that person can teach, while the person of experience without knowledge cannot. He defined wisdom as knowledge of principles and causes. In his Physics and Metaphysics Aristotle discussed the material and formal causes Plato used and also the efficient and final…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

    Happiness is the goal that everyone seeks. Some people think that they seek honor, wealth, or any number of things. For example, if someone claims that they seek wealth in actuality they are seeking what they can do with that wealth. The same is for honor; they seek what other is giving them by being honored. Happiness is more like contentment. We do not make choices for the sake of something else; we make them for our own sake. The highest form of good which will create the most happiness must be something final. Happiness is the final goal that we want to reach. We reach happiness sometimes but it is something that cannot be achieved all at once. It is something that must be achieved by constantly striving for it. “Happiness is self-sufficient”, it needs nothing else because it has everything it needs. What gives someone happiness is relative to that person and different for everyone. If our ultimate goal is happiness then we have everything that we need. So striving for happiness is actually striving for everything we want and need. Therefore if we have happiness we need something else. (Book 1 Ch. 2 p.48, Ch. 7, p.50, Ch. 7 p.51-52)…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle's Argument
    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page

    Aristotle's Argument

    What is a good argument? Aristotle’s was the first person to have a formal theory for argument. He states that an argument is “When, certain things being so, something else results from these by their being so (either generally or for the most part) – there (in the Topics) this is called deduction, here it is called enthymeme” (Rhetoric I.2, 1356b16–18). It’s very interesting how Aristotle’s saw an argument from very different ways. In my opinion an argument is just the view of things from different perspective. I can’t understand how he can relate many words and concepts to this simple word. As Dr. King ask in lecture, what is a good argument? Is the big question. He combined fallacies, validity and induction to create a good…

    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Aristotle on the Polity Essay Example
    • 1802 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Aristotle on the Polity Essay Example

    In Politics Books 3 and 4, Aristotle analyzes different types of constitutions, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each. Aristotle regards a "polity" as the best for of constitution. According to Aristotle, why is a polity the best type of constitution? What are the characteristics of a polity? What sorts of problems does it overcome? In a polity, whom would posses political power and why? What type of justice would prevail?…

    • 1802 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics