Category: Aristotle
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Aristotle’s pursuit of knowledge and truth
You can learn a lot from reading philosophy books, but you will acquire practical wisdom much faster by studying the life of philosophers. By looking at what they actually did, you will draw more accurate conclusions than by looking at what they said. Aristotle (384-322 BC) is no exception in this respect. His books about…
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Key ideas in Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality
The concepts of potentiality and actuality occupy the central position in Aristotle’s metaphysics. They supply an invaluable intellectual tool to assess people and events for what they are, and for what they could become. They prompt you to assess not only what is self-evident, but also the latent capabilities and threats; they let you forecast…
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Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality
If you walk the streets of any large city nowadays, the sheer number of homeless, confused people will make you wonder if Aristotle’s theory of potentiality and actuality has been totally forgotten. While most people today believe that self-development and self-actualisation are almost impossible, Aristotle had already observed twenty-five centuries ago that all creatures have…
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Aristotle’s views on success compared to Kant’s
The largest successes and failures always start with a simple principle. I am referring to Aristotle’s principle of causality. If you understand it and adhere to it, you should do well in life. If you ignore its existence or fail to obey it, it will wipe you out. After Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) had rediscovered every…
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Aristotle’s key ideas on flourishing and success
Aristotle’s understanding of human flourishing and success, as presented in the “Nicomachean Ethics” and the “Eudemian Ethics,” can be summarized in three principles; those three key ideas are common to Plato, Taoism and Confucianism. The first principle is the need of knowledge to achieve self-actualisation, that is, to achieve one’s potential. The process of self-actualisation…
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Aristotle’s understanding of human flourishing and success
Aristotle (384-322 BC) addressed human flourishing in his work, “Nicomachean Ethics.” The key idea of “Nicomachean Ethics” is that the goal of human life should be happiness (in Greek “eudaimonia).” For Aristotle, happiness means “leading the good life” or “flourishing.” It means that the concerned person has attained steady, overall well-being, not just a fleeting…
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Critique of Aristotle’s theory of justice
If you contest a principle, it follows that you are contesting its consequences. If you disagree with Aristotle’s metaphysics (the principles of identity and causality), you’ll inevitably have to reject his theory of justice. According to Aristotle, justice is a virtue (habitual practice) consisting of giving to each person his due. His definition rests on…
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Impact of Aristotle’s theory of justice
The justice definition given by Aristotle in “Nicomachean Ethics” is simple, but accurate and profound. A person behaves in accordance with justice only if he has “an habitual disposition to render to each person his due.” The definition demands giving consistently and regularly to each person his due, not only occasionally, not only from time…
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Aristotle’s theory of justice
Aristotle presented his theory of justice in “Nicomachean Ethics.” He distinguished between two types of justice. On the one hand, distributive justice, and on the other hand, reparation or rectification justice. Distributive justice deals with the distribution of tangible goods or jobs, and intangible honours. The purpose of this type of justice is to ensure…
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The two keys in Aristotle’s views on politics and governance
It is naive to believe that history advances only in a single direction. If that was the case, people wouldn’t repeat mistakes made in the past. If that was the case, knowledge would grow with each generation and lessons would never be forgotten. Unfortunately, historical and philosophical lessons are often forgotten. Aristotle came up with…
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