Aristotle:
Excerpts from the Nichomachean Ethics and from Politics. The
excerpts cover 22 pages. These
reading notes refer to the page and, on a particular page, other numbering that
may guide you.
N.Ethics:
1.
pp. 1-2, up to section Ò12Ó—How are the ends of the
city connected to the ends of the individual? Is happiness part of a good life? What helps us get there, what keeps us away from it?
2.
p. 2, starting at section Ò12,Ó to p. 4, up to Ò2Ó—How
does Aristotle introduce his concern with the soul? How is it a part of the good life? Notice his claim that
habits matter. This will appear at
critical points later.
3.
p. 4, starting at Ò2Ó (which is Bk
IV, Ch. 2) up to p. 5, end of 1st column—How are rich and poor
people different when it comes to the good life?
4.
p. 5, middle column—What is justice? Compare it to PlatoÕs definition.
5.
p. 5, at ÒBook VI,Ó to end of p. 6—Notice there are
distinct capacities of the soul.
How does knowledge fit into this?
What kind of knowledge confers wisdom? Again, compare this to Plato.
6.
p. 7 at Book VIII, up to section Ò10Ó—Friendship is
the glue that holds cities together.
What is a friend? What doe
friends do to our lives?
7.
p. 7, at section Ò10,Ó up to p. 8, up to section
Ò9Ó—Here A. enters into a discussion of political systems, a topic developed
later in the Politics. How does this classification compare to
PlatoÕs? Why do you suppose he is
doing this? Note also the comments
about women in this section. Why
would he even ask if it is virtuous for women to inherit property?
8.
p. 8, section Ò9,Ó through all of p. 9—notice the
structure of the argument here.
Knowledge is instrumental.
We all have moral capabilities, that can be developed by certain
means. Political science, like
other areas of study, requires experience. Why do we learn?
Notice the importance of cultivating the right habits. Also notice that he does not answer the
question of how we cultivate the right habits. For that, we need to study politics. Keep in mind that connection between
the N. Ethics
and the Politics.
Politics.
9.
p. 10, through the second column on p.12— In chapters
1 and 2, note his account of how city states are constituted, and how he
defines human beings. An expansion
of this idea is offered in chapter 5, where he explains natural hierarchies. What all occurs in natural hierarchies,
according to Aristotle? What
is the account of slavery? This
will show up again in the course.
10. p. 12, starting at ÒBook
IIIÓ— In Book III we get an account of citizens. In chapter 1 he defines a citizen. What is it? In chapter 4 (middle of p. 13) he connects the excellence of
a citizen to a constitution. Why
this connection? Toward the end of
chapter 4 he adds more comments comparing men and women. Please not his method of argument
here.
11.
p. 15— In chapters 6, 7 and 8 A. describes
constitutions. What is a
constitution? What are the types
of constitutions? Note the role of
interest in chapter 7.
12.
p. 16, at ÒBk IV, Chapter
9Ó— Aristotle considers the constitutional form called a polity. What is that? Notice also in chapter 9 his discussion of the importance of
the mean. This is a central idea for
Aristotle. One modern, liberal way
to summarize this argument is to claim Aristotle extols the virtues of a middle
class (continuing up to p. 18, section that ends at ÒBook VII.Ó).
13.
p. 18— In Book VII A. brings together several
themes. In chapter 1, what is the
role of the soul in the good life?
What does a happy city state look like?
14.
p. 18— At the start of chapter 2, what is his claim
about levels of analysis? At the
end of chapter 2 is his account of the role of the military in a city
state. What is it?
15.
p. 19, starting at ÒChapter 3Ó— Aristotle discusses
the pursuit of the best life. What
is the best life? What does it
mean to be happy? The argument is
continued through ÒChapter 13,Ó on p. 20 continuing on to p. 21.
16.
Chapter 13 also brings us back to the issues raised at the
end of the N.
Ethics. Given that he has
answered most of the questions about constitutions, here he asks how, in
practical terms, we cultivate the excellence necessary for the best life and
for happiness. How do we do
that? What is the role of
education in building the virtues in a person?
17.
The rest of your excerpts deal with the contents of
education, and how that leads to creation of virtuous people.
18.
Has Aristotle adequately addressed the issues raised in the N. Ethics?