Plato and Aristotle

?

• Which came first: the Chicken or the Idea of a chicken?

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”

What is “essence”?

• Entelechy?

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

Tonight’s HW: Write a Reflection

• Compare yesterday’s survey activity (the worksheet on Golden Means) and the VIA survey…Reflect on your character strengths from the survey…Was it accurate? how can you take advantage of your strengths ?

• What areas could you work on?