Suggest “Aristotelian Philosophy - From Aristotle to MacIntyre” by Knight,K. (2007) Polity.
The key and central issue of Aristotle’s life is ‘The Good Life’ and self-actualisation through social practices conducted in accordance with virtues and thus achieving a flourishing life. In its highest form this is real Civic Participation (ie everything prohibited by our Utilitarian Ethics, based on our means-end epistemology, and our concept of political participation by mere consumerised voting for our wants).
Any account of Aristotle’s life without a word of this would have him turning in his grave.
For more specially North American neo-Aristotelians see Michael Sandel’s free online Harvard course ‘Justice’ or read Charles Taylor et al
Another account on a Greek philosopher that omits any of his actual philosophy! Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics and it’s retrieval has been the major influence on Kant, Hegel, Marx, Heidegger, Arendt and Gadamer among the Continental schools, and Wittgenstein, Anscombe et al in the Anglophone world. Most importantly Alasdair MacIntyre’s “After Virtue” remains key to contemporary Ethics and Politics in its retrieval of Aristotelianism. (Research Centre at London Met). I find it staggering that these empirical accounts of a life with nothing but a list of subjects and a one-off sound bite fact eg of a phallus actually get to print, while missing THE whole point of why he’s referred to as THE philosopher in Christian and Islamic thought as well as in contemporary neo-Aristotelianism - as ethical and political practice.
And oh yes - a more important sound bite than the phallus might be his recording the destruction of biodiversity in marine life in the Gulf of Lesvos, due to the trawling for scallops to extinction by fishermen. The first record of human environmental destruction (as many environmental scientists have now recognised).
Wow, fascinating
Suggest “Aristotelian Philosophy - From Aristotle to MacIntyre” by Knight,K. (2007) Polity.
The key and central issue of Aristotle’s life is ‘The Good Life’ and self-actualisation through social practices conducted in accordance with virtues and thus achieving a flourishing life. In its highest form this is real Civic Participation (ie everything prohibited by our Utilitarian Ethics, based on our means-end epistemology, and our concept of political participation by mere consumerised voting for our wants).
Any account of Aristotle’s life without a word of this would have him turning in his grave.
For more specially North American neo-Aristotelians see Michael Sandel’s free online Harvard course ‘Justice’ or read Charles Taylor et al
Another account on a Greek philosopher that omits any of his actual philosophy! Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics and it’s retrieval has been the major influence on Kant, Hegel, Marx, Heidegger, Arendt and Gadamer among the Continental schools, and Wittgenstein, Anscombe et al in the Anglophone world. Most importantly Alasdair MacIntyre’s “After Virtue” remains key to contemporary Ethics and Politics in its retrieval of Aristotelianism. (Research Centre at London Met). I find it staggering that these empirical accounts of a life with nothing but a list of subjects and a one-off sound bite fact eg of a phallus actually get to print, while missing THE whole point of why he’s referred to as THE philosopher in Christian and Islamic thought as well as in contemporary neo-Aristotelianism - as ethical and political practice.
And oh yes - a more important sound bite than the phallus might be his recording the destruction of biodiversity in marine life in the Gulf of Lesvos, due to the trawling for scallops to extinction by fishermen. The first record of human environmental destruction (as many environmental scientists have now recognised).
Aristotle was one of the West's greatest writers, period. Great article, Anya!
Thank you, Anya.