Aristotles Critique of Plato Essay - 453 Words

Aristotle’s Critique of Plato nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Aristotle took a distinct path verging from the foundation of Plato’s philosophy. In order to control society Plato used the noble lie, so people under the state wouldn’t question their place in life. Aristotle, on the other hand, used the idea of â€Å"civic virtue of friendship† to create a sense of community. â€Å"For Aristotle, friendship is a virtue â€Å"most necessary for our life.† Without friendship, life would be missing a major dimension and in consequence our live would lack real significance.† (50) As this quote entails, friendship is important to Aristotle and is a major foundation for his philosophy. Plato’s noble lie was a way to patch the giant hole in his theory of an ideal†¦show more content†¦The polis’ well being is more important than the individual. Not to say that Aristotle cared for individual rights, but he viewed the polis as a means to the â€Å"good life.† The polis is justified then by the peoples desire to achieve happiness. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Aristotle and Plato have differing opinion on who should lead the polis. Plato felt â€Å"philosopher kings† should rule because they would be trained and have the most knowledge and wisdom to know justice from injustice, and Plato strictly disagrees with democracy saying that it only leads to tyranny. Aristotle was in favor of a Polity which has the middle class rule since the middle class have the least desire to be rich or to have control; however, a Polity is unpractical because the middle class is usually not strong enough to counter the ambitions of the rich or the power crave of the poor, thus leaving either the rich or the poor in charge. Needing a practical solution to which group shall rule Aristotle choose democracy. â€Å"Whereas tyranny is the most perverse of the unjust regimes and whereas oligarchy is nest to tyranny among the worst regimes, democracy is the â€Å"most moderate† among the worst regimes and thus the â€Å"least b ad† among those considering to be the unjust regimes.†(51) Aristotle’s democracyShow MoreRelated Ethical and Philosophical Questions about Value and Obligation977 Words   |  4 PagesMill, Kant, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and the ethics of care? III For Mill, the question is what is the relation between his (metaethical) empirical naturalism and his (normative) qualitatively hedonist value theory and his utilitarian moral theory? One place we can see Mill?s empiricism is his treatment, in Chapter III, of the question of why the principle of utility is ?binding?, how it can generate a moral obligation. Compare Mill?s treatment of this question with Kant?s treatmentRead MorePlato s Theory Of Forms1629 Words   |  7 Pagesreality. The realm of ideas and abstract thought is in fact the ideal representation of reality. (When used in this manner, the first letter of form is usually capitalized). The aim of this essay is to identify â€Å"What is a Form?† and â€Å"What are the critiques of Plato’s theory of Forms?† According to the theory, a Form is technically bound to nor space or time. A Form does not exist as a material object and therefore cannot exist in three dimensional space. Because this is true of a Form, it consequentlyRead MoreAn Analysis Of Euripides The Suppliants 1372 Words   |  6 PagesIn The Suppliants, Euripides wrote, â€Å"The people cannot form proper judgements and therefore cannot rightly direct a state†. Euripides is living in the midst of democracy in Athens; therefore his quote is a critique of what is happening around him. In his quote, he is taking an anti-democratic stance towards the question of who is fit to rule. Euripides believes only one or few people should rule a state, as not all are qualified or have the ‘proper judgement’ to do so. However, people do rule theRead MoreAristotle And Aristotle s Philosophy1782 Words   |  8 PagesBoth Plato and Aristotle were prominent philosophers during their time and even today remain some of th e most well-known philosophers ever. Aristotle was a student of Plato’s and Plato’s influence was noticeable throughout Aristotle’s work. Though Aristotle believed and would later teach a lot of Platonic philosophy, that did not mean that he agreed with everything that Plato taught. One thing that Aristotle would critique about Plato’s teaching was his idea of what he called â€Å"Forms† and their roleRead MoreThe Good Ghanaian Society 1068 Words   |  5 Pagespolitical and economic philosopher from the time of Aristotle to Max Weber has agreed that the provision of a good society is the ultimate purpose of government. Once the role of government has been defined, it thus becomes imperative to further define how this good society would be established and it is at this point that all the great thinkers whose works are sandwiched in the library between Aristotle and Weber, defined it differently. To Aristotle, the Good Society permits some of its members toRead MorePlato s Critique Of Democracy2140 Words   |  9 Pages Why Plato’s critique of democracy is still relevant today. Democracy is often referred to as the rule of the many, but Aristotle called this definition incomplete. In his book â€Å"Politics†, he explained that in a city if the majorities are aristocrats and if they have political authority, then it is an aristocracy not a democracy. He therefore defined democracy as when â€Å"free people have authority and Oligarchy as when the wealthy have it† (1290b). Plato viewed Democracy as a flawedRead MoreComparing Twentieth Century Political Thought Leo Strauss And Richard Rorty1421 Words   |  6 PagesStrauss at the University of Chicago, and was always quick to acknowledge the influence that his former teacher had on his writing. In the following paper I will briefly highlight and critique the fundamental arguments presented by the duo. Certainly, Rorty and Strauss share a degree of commonality in their critique of the Enlightenment. Furthermore, I will assert that Rorty’s ‘pragmatic argument’ and Stra uss’ ‘esotericism’ share a degree of kinship. However, when it comes to a close examination ofRead MoreAristotle s Philosophy Of The Mind And Soul1176 Words   |  5 Pagesmetaphysics and De anima; more specifically, the nature of the human mind and soul in relation to knowledge. Aristotle begins his theory of knowledge with a critique on Plato’s forms. Before sensation and perception can be discussed, a rudimentary understanding of his other theories is necessary. For Aristotle, the Forms did not sufficiently explain the nature of the material reality we live in. Aristotle felt that in order to explain coherent and objective knowledge of the world, form must be located inRead MoreHeidegger, Kant, And The Ontological Argument985 Words   |  4 Pagesmany discoveries of the â€Å"domains of being† viz., â€Å"nature, space, and soul†. However, none of these discoveries could be appreciated in a way that clarifies â€Å"their specific being.† As an example, Heidegger interprets this problem, as the reason Plato understood why the soul, along with its logos, was a different being from that of a sensible one. It is from this preliminary starting point that Heidegger investigates the Kantian contention that the ontological argu ment fails, because â€Å"being isRead MoreAristotle And Plato s Influence On Western Philosophical Tradition2851 Words   |  12 Pagesthe problem of the one and the many. Then there were the medieval times, which are traditionally divided into two main periods: the period within the Latin West which was then followed by the Early Middle Ages until the 12th century. At this time, Aristotle and Plato’s works were conserved and cultivated. And the second period was the golden age of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries in the Latin West, which witnessed the pinnacle of the recovery of ancient philosophy, along with a reception of the Arabic