POLS 2900 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Magnanimity, Practical Action, Habituation
7 Apr 2014
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By analogy, a good human life is one that allows a human being to perform his. Aristotle tells us that vulgar persons (i. e. , commoners) associate happiness with sensual. I picked up where i left off at the conclusion of last thursday"s lecture. Like plato and socrates, aristotle believes that everyone really wants to live a good life. The difficulty is that not everyone knows what it means to live well. There are many opinions on the subject and aristotle canvasses several in the first book of the ethics. As i explained last time, he argues that the goodness of anything is tied to its characteristic end (purpose) or function. Thus, for example, a good knife performs the function of a knife excellently. Since knives are intended to cut things, a good knife is sharp and cuts things easily. characteristic function excellently. Aristotle claims that everyone refers to this condition as.
