John Vespasian

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    Aristotle’s views on friendship

    Aristotle addressed friendship in his “Nicomachean Ethics.” He viewed friendship as indispensable for leading a happy life, but identified three types of friendships: those based on utility, those based on pleasure, and those based on shared values or virtues. The latter is by far the most valuable. Friendships of utility are based on mutual interest.…

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    Aristotle’s perspective on the purpose of human life

    If you wonder why so many people seem completely lost, unable to make good decisions, the answer is straightforward: They have no purpose in life. They have no goals, no vision of what they want to achieve. They are going nowhere in particular and do not care if they get there or not. Since they…

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    Aristotle’s views on the nature of reality

    Aristotle used a systematic method for drawing conclusions from empirical observations. His concept of reality revolves around the idea of “substance,” which actually means “entity” in the sense employed by Aristotle. Every entity, he taught, is composed of matter that takes a certain form, configuration, or shape. For Aristotle, the “form” is what characterises each…

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    Aristotle’s concept of practical wisdom

    Like Schopenhauer would do twenty-four centuries later, Aristotle regarded practical wisdom (“phronesis” in Greek) as a crucial ingredient of a happy life. In his “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle defined “phronesis” as a skill that enables us to choose the correct course of action and for the correct reasons. In other words, “phronesis” is the daily implementation…

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    Aristotle’s views on ethics, virtue and happiness

    Aristotle (384-322 BC) believed that ethics have a clear, definite purpose. He defined ethics as the science of achieving eudaimonia, which means “a happy, thriving, flourishing life.” He argued that human beings can only achieve happiness by living a life of virtue. Unfortunately, in some cases, he wrongly identified virtue with the “golden mean,” a…

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    Happiness and Aristotle’s theory of the soul

    The process of philosophical development is similar to the process of learning to walk after you have suffered an injury. It takes lots of training for your muscles to work properly and in a coordinated manner. The learning process can prove tough, but works fine if you are willing to put in the hours; there…

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    Aristotle’s theory of the soul

    People frequently ask me what is the point of studying philosophy? My answer is always short. A few words suffice. The point of studying philosophy is learning to see. Once you get familiar with key philosophical doctrines, such as those put forward by Aristotle, you will understand the world better and make better decisions. A…

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    Aristotle’s concept of teleology

    You can accurately predict a person’s future if you know his goals and the intensity of his motivation. Aristotle, one of the three most influential philosophers in history, introduced the concept of teleology, a framework that examines the objectives of human action. “Teleology” is derived from the Greek word “telos,” which means end, purpose, motivation…

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    Aristotle’s theory of the four causes

    In this article, I present one of Aristotle’s key contributions to philosophy. Aristotle’s theory of the four causes seems at first sight very easy to understand, but if you dig into the details, you will see its epochal consequences. It changed human mentality, and in doing so, it changed the course of history. The four…

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    Aristotle’s philosophy of metaphysics

    The first thing to say about Aristotle’s metaphysics is that its very name has become misleading. The original Ancient Greek text is using the term “metaphysics” with the meaning “principles of physics” or “principles of reality.” In Aristotle’s writings, “metaphysics” has nothing to do with the supernatural, the occult, or hidden forces of nature. On…

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