A beginner's history of philosophy , Vol. 1 by Herbert Ernest Cushman

Author:Herbert Ernest Cushman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Philosophy -- History
Published: 2012-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

ARISTOTLE

199

Aristotle in any case is not a perpetuation of the individuality.

2. The Ethics of Aristotle. We have seen that nature phenomena are of two classes, — those mechani cally related, and those related as to their purposes or ends. Physics is concerned with the first class; psy chology is concerned with the second class. But in a special way are ethics and politics sciences of the phe nomena of the second class — sciences of ideologically related phenomena. Moral life is an unfolding essence having a possibility and an actuality. The Possibility or Matter of the ethical life is our feelings, tempera ment, disposition, impulses, and perceptions — just those psychological factors that make up the endowment of the human personality. The ultimate Form or actuality of the ethical life is the reason. The reason as the goal of the moral being determines its character. Man is distinctly a rational being. Virtue is the process of the ethical life from its possibilities to its actuality; it is the essence of the ethical life. Virtue is that contin uous state of mind that makes rational activity possible. So much for the factors that make the ethical situation 5 the natural endowments of the mind are its material, the reason is its goal, while the means of developing the natural endowments into rational activity is virtue.

The situation would be simple enough for us as moral beings if, in our striving, each had only himself and his own development to consider. But man lives in a world of men, and his highest good is determined somewhat by his environment, — by riches, bodily com forts, success. These are not essentials but only acces sories, and the lack of them is only a limitation. The essential factor is the rational activity. Nevertheless,

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