Aristotle

Phil 100 / 200 Week 23: Aristotle’s Ethics

Aristotle purports to set out for us how we should live, apparently recommending the life of the Athenian gentleman.

courage

temperance

liberality (to do with attitudes towards one's wealth)

magnificence (ditto)

greatness of soul (to do attitudes to social inferiors)

good temper or gentleness

being agreeable in company

wittiness

(modesty)

Does he have anything more transcendent to teach us?

I develop a number of points, which may or may not be made to hang together into a single coherent account of ethics.

The good for human beings is what enables them to fulfil the way of life that is natural to them.

With a plant you have a conception of the plant's good, and of what is good for it.

What is good for it is whatever helps it attain the pattern of life that is characteristic of the species it belongs to.

E.g. Rhododendrons, frogs.

Ignoring the characteristic pattern of life of a species - factory farming ?

Is there a characteristic pattern of life for the human being?

If so, what is good for human beings will be whatever helps them live the life that is characteristic of the species...

Aristotle: Whatever it is that distinguishes the human being from other species will be the thing that defines their characteristic pattern of life. And what is distinctive of the human being is: rationality, or reason. (An analogy: the distinctive capacity to breath sulphuric acid fumes.) The exercise of reason plays a key role in the pattern of life that is characteristic of the human being. Thus, allowing ourselves and others to exercise our powers of reasoning is an important good for us.

Happiness

Happiness, according to Aristotle, consists in 'activity of soul in accordance with virtue'. It is living according to the pattern of life which is characteristic of the human species.

Other candidates for happiness:

Pleasure? Wealth?

Happiness is an attribute of a complete life:

'The life of a virtuous person 'has no need of pleasure as a sort of adventitious charm, but has its pleasure in itself.' (NE Bk. I, $8.)

"For one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy." (Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Bk. I, $7)

Can we all be happy?

"all who are not maimed as regards their potentiality for virtue my win it by a certain kind of study and care. (NE Bk. I, $9.)

The doctrine of the mean.

Examples:

	too little	the mean	too much
impulse when danger threatens	Cowardice	Courage	Rashness
attitude to giving and getting	Meanness	Liberality	Prodigality
attitude towards the undeserved good fortune of others	Malice	Righteous indignation	Jealousy

Nature today - the genes as defining the nature of a creature

Is it wrong to create artificial species?

The virtues are those dispositions that produce the pattern of life that is characteristic of the human being.

Virtue Theory

An action is good when it is the exercise of a virtue.

6 May, 2001

Dark Star

John Carpenter, 1974, US

Rough transcript of last fifteen minutes.

Dolittle talks to the Mission Commander who is in deep freeze

Dolittle: Commander Powell? This is Dolittle. Do you hear me? Something serious has come up. I have to ask you a question.

Powell: It's been so long since anyone has come to talk to me.

We have a big problem. Bomb No 20. It's stuck. Refuses to listen. Plans on detonating in 11 minutes.

You must tell me one thing. How are the Dodgers doing?

They broke up 15 years ago.

A pity.

We can't get the bomb to drop!

So many malfunctions. Why don't you have anything nice to tell me? Did you try the azimuth clutch?

Yes - negative.

I've forgotten so much since I've been in here.

What should we do? Time is running out!

What you might try …

You fade out there for a little while.

I've drawn blank … forget so many things in here … Let me think …

__________________________

(Talk on the bridge)

_________________________

Dolittle to Powell:

Dolittle: You still there?

I'm thinking.

We are running out of time, Sir.

If you can't get it to drop you'll have to talk to it. Talk to it. Teach it phenomenology, Dolittle.

Sir?

Phenomenology.

_________________________
Dolittle to bomb:

Hello bomb. Are you willing to entertain a few concepts?

I'm always receptive to suggestions.

Think about this then: How do you know that you exist?

__________________________

(Fight on the bridge)

__________________________

Well of course I exist.

But how do you know you exist?

It's intuitively obvious.

Intuition is no proof. What concrete evidence do you have that you exist?

Well … I think therefore I am.

That good! Very good! But how do you know that anything else exists?

My sensory apparatus reveals it to me.

Right.

This is fun!

Listen. How do you know the evidence the sensory apparatus reveals is correct?

_________________________

(Fight continues)

_________________________

What I'm getting at is this. The only experience that is directly available to you is your sensory data, and this sensory data is merely a stream of electrical impulses that stimulates your computing center.

In other words, all that I really know about the outside world is relayed to me through electrical connections. ... Why that would mean that I don't know what the outside universe is like at all for certain. Intriguing. I wish I had more time to discuss this matter.

Why don't you have more time?

Because I must detonate in 75 seconds.

________________________

(More fight)

_______________________

Now bomb: consider the next question very carefully. What is your purpose in life?

To explode of course.

You can only do it once.

That is correct.

You wouldn't want to do that on the basis of false data would you?

Of course not.

You've already admitted that you have no real proof of the existence of the outside Universe.

Yes ... well...

So you have no absolute proof that Sgt Pinback ordered you to detonate.

I remember distinctly the detonation order. My memory is good on that.

You remember it, but all you remember is having sensory data which you now realise has no real definite connection with the world out there.

True, but why are you telling me all this?

That's all beside the point. The concept is valid no matter where it originated. If you detonate -

Nine seconds.

- you would be doing so on the basis of false data!

I have no proof it was false data.
You have no proof it was correct data!
I must think on this further.

_________________________

Pinback tries to disarm bomb:

All right, bomb: prepare to receive new orders.

You are false data. Therefore I shall ignore you.

Hello, bomb!

False data can only act as a distraction. Therefore I shall ignore you.

Hey, bomb!

The only thing that exists is myself.

______________________

Snap out of it bomb!

In the beginning there was darkness and the darkness was without form and void and in addition to the darkness there was also me and I moved upon the face of the darkness and I saw that I was alone.

Hey, bomb?

Let there be light.