Aristotle Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Eudaimonia Happiness and Virtue on Aristotle

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Aristotle was the ancestor of the concept of eudaimonia. The word "Eudaimonia refer to the type of life one thinks best, most worthwhile, or most desirable. It is generally referred to hedonic happiness. It is the belief that one is getting the important things one wants, as well as certain pleasant affects [1]. It is about pleasure, having fun and enjoying yourself. Aristotle argues that most people agree that living well and doing well is all about happiness [2]. Furthermore, […]

Kant and Aristotle on Happiness

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Human happiness has been a topic of discussion for thousands of years. The discussion focuses on how to reach true happiness, and the relevance of happiness to decision making. Over time, philosophers have mulled over human happiness, with Aristotle and Kant taking opposing stances. Aristotle believes happiness is the goal of human activity. Kant argues that the purpose of human activity is to uphold universal law without taking happiness into consideration. Acting out of respect for duty leads to a […]

The Tragic Hero Death of a Salesman

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Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is an appropriate illustration of a tragedy as defined by Aristotle in his Poetics. Willy Loman is the protagonist in Miller’s famous play and has attributes that qualify him as a tragic hero. The Aristotelian tragedy entails the fall of a high esteem person such as a king or ruler as a result of their weakness also known as a tragic flaw. The tragic hero according to Aristotle is brought down by an error […]

Aristotle Vs. Plato

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Throughout life, one will encounter many different people some with similar views and others with contrasting perspectives on reality. This topic and discussion on life and reality continues to rise debate since ancient times. Some of history's most influential philosophers that attempt to describe life and reality are Aristotle and Plato. A student may choose to accept the teachings of a mentor or reject, question, and modify what is taught. Aristotle was a student of Plato's and chose to reject […]

The Purpose of the Aristotle Function Argument

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According to Aristotle, humans ought to aim for a flourishing life which a good human would have and in order to determine human goodness, we need to understand the function of humans. Aristotle believes that rational activity and rationally guided cognition is the human function. Rationality is essentially acting in ways that are in accordance with reasons and to do that is by fulfilling the virtues that are correspond with the characteristic function. Aristotle uses the function of an object […]

Alexander the Great, a Great General but not so Great of and Administrator

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Many have argued that Alexander III of Macedon (356 BC-323 BC) commonly known as Alexander the Great, that the collapse of his empire was caused primarily by his death, however the primary cause of collapse of his empire was his failure to lead and administer the state. For it is this which is the most notable result of Alexander's life and work; for all his military prowess, he was one of the world's greatest failures""and that failure spelt misery and […]

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

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There is perhaps no pursuit more quintessential to human existence than that of happiness and a meaningful life. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle examines the many facets of life that bring virtue and contentment. He queries what it means to be good, just, and ethical. These questions are as relevant now as they were then. Seeking one's purpose in life will always be a key element of human nature. Aristotle begins his musings by explaining that happiness is the motivation for […]

The Differences between the Principles of Plato Aristotle

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Plato and Aristotle are without a doubt two of the world's greatest philosophers. Plato, a Greek philosopher and a student of Socrates, was born around 424-423 BC in Athens to a wealthy Athenian family and his death was around 347-348 BC. Following in the footsteps of Socrates, Plato wrote his works as dialogues. His notable works include Apology, Symposium and Republic. His notable ideas were Idealist in nature, in that he believed in order and harmony, goodness and selflessness, everlasting […]

Ancient Greek Contributions to Western Civilization

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Greece has made invaluable contributions to worldwide civilization. Greece has vastly influenced, Western Civilization, culture, and even our way of thought. It has been written that Greece is the birthplace of western civilization. One of Greece's invaluable influences of Western Civilization is the arts. The ancient Greeks were well-known for their temples, art work, and sculptures. In fact, Greece introduced sculpturing into architecture, as evidenced in their columns, be it what is still used today, Dorian, Ionic and Corinthian design […]

A very Famous Philosopher Aristotle

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Aristotle was a very famous philosopher that worked with many others. He had a successful life teaching, thinking, and studying. As a successful person, he gave wisdom and knowledge to society that was passed on and still used today. Aristotle was born on 384 BC at Stagira, Chalcidice to the parents of Nicomachus and Phaestis of the Macedonian Royal Family. He lived in Stagira most of his life. In 367 BC, he went to Platonic Academy, which was founded by […]

Existence of God: Arguments of Descartes and Aristotle

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The knowledge of God and his existence has been presented in many philosophical works through time, starting with Plato and his dialogues, to Leibniz and more. Though many philosophers have acknowledged the existence and knowledge of God, their definition of God differs and as a consequence of their explanation and interpretation of the nature of God. The nature of God can be derived from how the philosophers define their knowledge of God's existence. Looking at Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Leibniz, […]

Development of Science in 17th and 18th Century

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Science is defined as intellectual and practical actives that involve systematic organization of knowledge obtained through observations and experiment. 17th and 18th centuries are periods where we see human being conducting thorough scientific research which has seen been tested and proven real. It is also through these sessions that technological changes were significantly observed ranging from Revolution of Ideas, a discovery of new machines, widespread of scientific knowledge through learning institutions, improvement in speed work and Institutionalization of well discussed […]

Aristotle’s Ethics

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In this essay we will be looking at Aristotle's Ethics most importantly book v of his Nichomachean Ethics, which is concern with Justice. As a virtue theorist Aristotle believes that the best form of life is to cultivate virtue. There are different virtues and the way Aristotle defines virtue as the means between excess and efficiency. Aristotle begins by giving us varieties of justice, " All men mean by justice that kind of state which makes people disposed to do […]

Oedipus the King and Aristotle

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In Aristotle's' Poetics, a perfect tragedy is described as being complex story whose themes and actions should imitate real life. For the story to be considered a tragedy, the hero must be virtuous and possess nobility of character. Their greatness however, should not insinuate they are perfect instead, they should possess real flaws which should help the audience related to the hero. One of the main factors for a perfect tragedy is the reversal of situation. The hero should be […]

Aristotle about a Perfect Happiness

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As a consequence of having an active component of happiness is the possibility of differentiating and valuing it. Accordingly, the highest and most precious happiness can be obtained by those activities which "are desirable in themselves from which nothing is sought beyond the activity." For Aristotle, examples of such activity are the virtuous actions because "to do noble and good deeds is a thing desirable for its own sake." The philosopher goes further in his distinguishing the hierarchy of happiness, […]

Aristotle’s Function Argument

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Aristotle believes that if one wants to live well, one should organize their life by reference to the very best thing that humans can obtain in action?”something he calls "the human good. He portrays that a good life should point towards eudaimonia, which may also be interpreted as happiness. However, unlike our modern understanding of happiness as a mental state, eudaimonia carries more weight in regard to living a full and wealthy life. Due to this we may better interpret […]

The Tragedy of MacBeth

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A tragedy is a literary work depicting serious events in which the main character, often high-ranking and dignified, comes to an unhappy end. Going off of this description, Macbeth aligns nearly perfectly. His snowballing misfortunes and fatal end meet the requirements of a modern tragic hero, but does he check off the exact boxes created by the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle when creating a true tragic hero? Shakespeare's lead character Macbeth is as Aristotle requires to be a tragic hero; […]

The Understanding of Politics by Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes

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Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes, two philosophers from different time period, were very famous about the way they were approaching differently their ideologies about politics. Both of them had different points of view about the political communities, the power of the state and the role that every human being have in the society. To talk about politics as Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes said, in the first place you need to have human being. Aristotle considers the human being as "political animals. […]

Aristotle Politics: the Relationship between Personal Ethics and Public Politics

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Within every state, the typical goal of every citizen is to have an efficient system of government that gives priority to its citizens regardless of their position or class within the community. Individuals who owe allegiance to a given state may show diversity, but the core of their focus is working towards having a better life and improving the state of their community. In Politics by Aristotle, one of the most prominant themes is the relationship between personal ethics and […]

Virtue on Aristotle

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As mentioned above, Eudaimonia is defined as a supreme good, which becomes the ultimate goal of everyone pursues. What is the ultimate goal? It is the final purpose and will not be the way to achieve other purposes. For example, we can say that earning money is the purpose of working. So how about the purpose of making money? Some will say that making money is to obtain a better life. However, Eudaimonia is different. People do not pursue it […]

Great Aristotle in Western History

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Aristotle was one of the most important intellectual figures in Western history. He founded formal logic and conceived it for a finished system known as the sum of discipline for hundreds of years. Born 384 B.C.E. in Stagira, Greece, he was an ancient Greek philosopher / scientist, also known as the teacher of Alexander the Great. He is known for many things, but the main reason his work is still recognized as a powerful current in contemporary philosophy is because […]

Summary of Shakuntala: Oedipus Rex

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Finding Poetics in History The common saying about war, depression, political events, and history is that it repeats itself. In theatre history, Aristotle’s Poetics does this too. The Poetics, only 114 pages, is a common thread that is sewn through the evolution of theatre from 335 BCE to present day. Aristotle’s Poetics is a crucial document that has been formative in the path influencing the decisions of some of the earliest thespians. Aristotle’s impact on history is large and the […]

Socrates and Aristotle

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Everyone views democracy differently; some people think it’s not the best way to run a government and others feel that it’s the only way. Both Socrates and Aristotle have strong views on democracy. In Book Six of The Republic Plato describes a conversation between Socrates and another character called Adeimantus. Socrates compares democracy to a ship. He asks him if they were going on trip by sea who would he want in charge; the shipowner who is bigger and stronger […]

Varieties of Knowledge in Plato and Aristotle

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Have you ever wondered how someone depicts the truth from a lie? Or maybe even wondered how do we know what we know? Two philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, sought out to help us understand the why we do what we do and how do we know what we know. Both philosophers’ debate in the knowledge at birth, the mechanism to find the truth, and concepts of reality. Despite Aristotle being taught by Plato they had different theories and views. Plato's […]

Aristotle Quiz: Distinguishing Change from Movement

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According to Aristotle, while the house changing from non-being to being was discrete, the change in the quality of its elements was continuous and spanned a period of time. Aristotle argues that a change from being to non-being and vice versa, referred to simply as a change, is different from a change in the quality of an entity or its components, referred to as a movement (226b. 19-22). Further, he says that the "actuality, or natural form, of a buildable's […]

The Pursuit of Happiness: Aristotle’s Philosophical Perspective as Indicated

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As indicated by aristotle he happens to be the establishing fathers of Happiness, He expresses that satisfaction all relies upon ourselves more than any other person. It is a condition of human life and an objective in itself. Euphoria depends upon ourselves." More than some other individual, Aristotle values fulfillment as a central purpose behind human life and a target in itself. As needs he devotes more space to the subject of delight than any researcher before the propelled time. […]

Concept of St. Augustine Christianity Philosophy

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St. Augustine was an important figure in history for philosophy and had many contributions throughout his career that made other important philosophers question themselves and him. We get to know St. Augustine as he tells his audience about his life and his ideas by his work while he was alive. He had written many famous books that still have an impact on today’s generation and blended philosophy and theology together. Augustine was able to accomplish many things throughout his hardships […]

The Aspects of Ancient Classical Literature

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This paper is about exploring the aspects of ancient classical literature that have somehow influenced the modern world or the aspects existed in ancient classical literature which are still existing in our lives one way or another. The most important aspect we have taken from ancient Greek culture is democracy. Democracy was the widely discussed topic in the ancient classical literature. Although, in modern form of democracy is different then that existed, but we can say that the ideology of […]

A Legal Construct of Government the Constitution

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Anarchy. Self-government. Aristocracy. Tyranny. Democracy. In every society there lie a social contract amongst peoples on how to conduct themselves and daily business, or rather, the rule-of-the-land. This social contract is declared and enforced by both legal authorities (i.e. government) as well as through the participation of its citizens. This paradigm has come to be known as 'law’. So if 'law’ is the construct of societal-cooperation within a particular society, what is it that which conducts governmental powers, interaction, and […]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Care

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Through Instagram Direct Messages, I was pestering my cousin brother for an exchange of books (him, obviously being the one with a greater and better library of books), which is when I became aware of the existence of the novel with no simple story, named “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig. It does not cease to amuse me how its inception in my mind was from a virtual world, and with my brother’s grace, when […]