Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
• Student of Plato• Teacher of Alexander
the Great• Started Lyceum• Studied biology,
astronomy, botany, moral philosophy, logic
• Developed syllogisms– All people are mortal– Socrates was a person– Therefore, Socrates is
Mortal• Founder of scientific
thought“I cannot let Athens sin against philosophy twice”
Plato Aristotle
Plato’s Ideals
Nature of “Form”
Relationship
Between tangible
And intangible
Senses
Relationship
Between knowledge
and happiness
Aristotle’s Four Causes
? Can you come up with a real world example of his 4 part causal explanation? (Not the ex. in the book.)
• Material• Formal• Efficient• Final
We only have proper knowledge of a thing when we understand its causes.
Explain these things by the 4 causes:
• The material cause• The formal cause:• The efficient cause: • The final cause:
A healthy person
• The material cause: “that matter out of which”– e.g., the bronze that goes into a statue.
• The formal cause: “the form”,“the potential plan for the matter”; “the account of what-it-is-to-be”– e.g., the intended shape of a statue.
• The efficient cause: “the primary source of the change ”, “the hands”– e.g.,the artisans’s art of bronze-casting the statue.
• The final cause: “the end, that for the sake of which a thing is done”; (could exist w/o deliberation)– e.g., the stimulation of observers to think, consider virtue of Leonidas’ courage and
aesthetics.
– e.g. a boat, to take people safely across water to other places
– e.g., health is the end of: walking, losing weight, healthy foods, not taking addictive drugs, and surgical tools, etc
What causes a happy person?
Define Cause: “That as the result of whose presence something comes into being”
- Aristotle, Metaphysics
Aristotle’s Moral Philosophy• What is his summon bonum?• Happiness …• How did he define this?
• We confuse happiness with pleasure, good health, wealth, knowledge… – these are the means but not the goal of life
• How can we be truly happy?• We need to know how to act and we
need habits that we act on in the long term….that is intellectual virtue and moral virtue
Aristotle’s Golden Mean
• Developing good habits in balancecowardice courage foolhardiness
shy friendlinessoverbearing
virtue
3 Forms of Happiness
• Individual – Eudaemonia – a way of life based on planning, choices and overall pleasure
• Social – being a free citizen
• Eternal – being a philosopher/ thinker
Aristotle TodayScience of Happiness! or Positive Psychology• 7 Scientifically Researched Traits of the Happy:
People who are most happy have any 5 or more of these qualities:
1. Use your strengths and virtues to work toward goals2. Communicate well: Keep close friendships3. Care: those who care for others or volunteer4. Exercise the body5. Absorbed in your work: “get into a flow”6. Positive thinking: Optimism and gratitude7. Spiritual or religious engagement
For more info see www.pursuit-of-happiness.org
Martin Seligman’s Self Surveyon Character Strengths and Virtues• http://
www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
• VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire