Communications in Humanities Research
- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences
Communications in Humanities Research
Vol. 28, 19 April 2024
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The Platonic and Aristotelian Conceptions of the Good
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Abstract
Numerous scholars often overlook the disparities in ethical perspectives between Plato and his student Aristotle. This research critically examines whether and how Aristotle's ethical ideas diverge from Plato’s. Contemporary ethicists and pre-modernist ethics generally classify both philosophers as virtue ethicists, whose focus lies primarily on character traits. However, significant differences emerge between Plato's and Aristotle's ethical positions, rooted in their fundamentally distinct metaphysical stances concerning the unity of existence. Aristotle explores this concept in the sixth chapter of the Nicomachean Ethics, where he applies the doctrine to his ethical framework. Plato, in contrast, asserts that all knowledge originates from awareness of a Form, an abstract universal or category in which individuals or species partake. The feasibility of a Philosopher King relies on the existence of a single Form (Being itself) that encompasses all other forms. Consequently, one who possesses knowledge of this Form includes the supreme science that consists of all other forms of knowledge. Aristotle, however, views the universality of existence differently from other abstract universals, rendering it incapable of being the subject of a supreme science, unlike Plato's depiction in the Republic. Comprehending these disparities illuminates the connection between philosophy and everyday life.
Keywords
Ethics, Forms, Platonism, Aristoelianism
References
1. Plato, and Reeve C D C. A Plato Reader: Eight Essential Dialogues. Hackett Pub. Co., 2012.
2. Taylor, et al. From the Beginning to Plato. Routledge, 1997.
3. Ameriks, K., & Clarke, D. M. (2000). Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics. Cambridge University Press.
4. Pappas, N. (2004). Routledge philosophy guidebook to Plato and the Republic. Routledge.
5. Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Batoche Books, 1999.
6. Castelli, L. M. (2010). Problems and paradigms of unity: Aristotle’s accounts of the One. International Aristotle Studies. V. 6.
7. Mix, Lucas John. “Strangely Moved: Appetitive Souls in Plato.” Life Concepts from Aristotle to Darwin, 2018, pp. 29–41., https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96047-03.
Data Availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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- Volume Title
- Proceedings of the International Conference on Global Politics and Socio-Humanities
- ISBN (Print)
- 978-1-83558-363-0
- ISBN (Online)
- 978-1-83558-364-7
- Published Date
- 19 April 2024
- Series
- Communications in Humanities Research
- ISSN (Print)
- 2753-7064
- ISSN (Online)
- 2753-7072
- DOI
- 10.54254/2753-7064/28/20230034
- Copyright
- 19 April 2024
- Open Access
- This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited