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Can someone summarize Aristotele's and Platon's moral theories please?
And how do they differ from each other?
5 Answers
- Anonymous7 years ago
I've never heard of Platon - but more importantly, why can't you do your own homework. a quick Google search will give you a basic idea.
- ?Lv 77 years ago
In an age where you have never known a world without computers, you can't even search for "Aristotle moral theory summary". Wow.
- Christopher FLv 67 years ago
I'm feeling more generous, or maybe points-hungry, so I'll try my hand at this.
Plato and Aristotle both held to a virtue-based theory of ethics. That is: the idea was to identify and describe a virtuous character, on the assumption that the man who possessed that character would do the right things.
This is very different from most modern theories. Modern philosophers from Bentham to Kant tend to judge ACTS first. What are the right things to do. THAT is their question. The ancients want to know who are the best people. Different approach.
Beyond that, being specific about Plato's ethical thought can be tricky, because he expressed it through dialogues that didn't always have clear answers to the questions they raised and because his own views probably changed over time. But we can say in general that his ideal was a philosopher, as represented by his teacher Socrates, and that what makes the Socratic life a good life is that it is examined: a philosopher never shies away from questions, including or especially questions about himself.
Aristotle's ethical ideal was of the "magnanimous man." Or, if you prefer more Anglo-Saxon terminology, the "great-souled man." The great-souled man is a man of leisure, and thus his existence depends upon a supportive productive society. Still, he (not the productive people around him) is the ideal. The great-souled man "is one who will possess beautiful and profitless things rather than profitable and useful ones."
Still, being in that social situation doesn't give you a great soul. You have to work on it, developing habits supportive of the four virtues: courage, prudence, justice, and wisdom. [The idea that there are four virtues is something of a repudiation of the Platonic idea that they all come down to the same thing, they are ALL wisdom in its various manifestations.)
Does that help?
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- 7 years ago
Clearly you have absolutely NO comprehension of how VAST this question is.
And, of course, that's completely understandable, as you've never cracked a book. Platon? Really?
So, if you can't be bothered to examine the issues, then neither can I.