Analyzing Plato and Aristotle's Ethical Theories: The Good Life

This assignment explores the ethical philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, focusing on their contrasting views of the good life, the nature of ethics, and the role of virtue. Plato's concept of the good life emphasizes self-examination and universal, objective ethical principles, while Aristotle focuses on practical human behavior and the importance of realizing one's potential in the empirical world. The assignment delves into Aristotle's critique of Plato's ethical view and explains Aristotle's conditions for an appropriate account of human beings. It also covers the differences in their understanding of ethics, with Aristotle emphasizing the need for virtue and good companionship to achieve happiness. Desklib provides students with access to a wide range of resources, including past papers and solved assignments, to further support their understanding of these complex philosophical concepts.

Running Head: Philosophy
Philosophy

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Philosophy
1. Plato’s book named “Apology” was written when Socrates was on trail. He was asked the
questions like as to why he questions everything. Socrates answered in a very simple way
that life that is unexamined is not worth anything. On the other hand, Plato saw life as a
person who lives a normal life like today. Without examining a person goes to work,
come back from work, rests and watches TV and then sleeps after having food (Yacobi,
2015).
2. Like most of the philosophers, Plato also maintained the virtue based eudaemonistic start
of ethics (Nyabul & Situma, 2014). In this, happiness of people or well being is on the
priority as aim of moral thought and conduct and the virtue are the necessary skills and
nature required to achieve it. In case of the conception of Plato is subtle and his support
for the morality of happiness seems subdued, there are reason for that.
3. Most of the theories of virtue and ethics actually take the inspiration and the motivation
from the Aristotle’s theories who claimed that the person with virtue is someone who has
ideal character factors (Kukukuysal & Beyhan, 2011). Not like deontological and
consequentiality theories, the theory virtues never aims for identifying universal
principles on the primary basis which can be applicable in any of the moral situation. The
questions of the virtue ethics are: How should I live? What is the good life? And what are
proper family and social values?
4. There are three conditions which are present in the soul. They are:
 Emotions: States that the soul is accompanied by pain or pleasure.
 Capacities: is the state due to which these emotions are felt.
 Characteristics: It is the state of soul in which the person feels all such emotions.
5. Aristotle perceived ethics as significant science and they deal with the human behavior
which is factual. Not like Plato, that he confirmed that the empirical world and life in it is
worth it. He adopted teleological conception of human life that requires to be realized in
the current life (Kakkori & Huttunen, 2007).
6. Aristotle’s theory was of knowing the good which was not sufficient for him. Aristotle
did not necessarily have a concept of free will. He did not believe that a person needed to
practice virtue or habituate oneself to virtue in order to be virtuous in true sense. For the
reason like this, though wisdom is considered to be the greatest form of virtue, but still it
is not to be taken as the key to possessing all the virtues. In other words, the philosopher

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Philosophy
Aristotle denies the unity of the virtues. And at last, Aristotle’s thought about virtue is
important and necessary for the life which is good and this is not at all enough. This can
be said that a person could have virtues or he can be virtuous but that person can still not
be happy. Some of the good friends’ fellow citizens are needed in particular for achieving
happiness in true sense.

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Philosophy
References
Kakkori, L. & Huttunen, R., 2007. Aristotle and Pedagogical Ethics. Paideusi, 16(1), pp.17-28.
Kukukuysal, B. & Beyhan, E., 2011. Virtue ethics in Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics.
International Journal of Human Sciences, 8(2).
Nyabul, P.O. & Situma, J.W., 2014. The Meaning of Eudemonia in Aristotle’s Ethics.
International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 2(3), pp.65-74.
Yacobi, B.G., 2015. Life and the Pursuit of Happiness. Journal of Philosophy of Life, 5(2),
pp.82-90.