This course offers a thorough examination of Aristotle’s ethical theory by studying his two major works: the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics. We will explore Aristotle’s ideas on virtue/excellence, human flourishing, and the role of reason in achieving the good life, with particular emphasis on the education and development of character—a crucial element in Aristotle’s ethics that is often overlooked in contemporary moral theories. Additionally, we will explore how friendship and social/political life are central to Aristotle’s conception of the good life in both works. This will lead to an understanding of how the two conceptions of human flourishing—rooted in theoretical and political lives—integrate into his ethical outlook. Furthermore, we will consider how Aristotle’s ethics relates to his biological and metaphysical theories, and how these connections allow him to distinguish his views from those of Socrates, Plato, and other contemporaries like Isocrates. By comparing and contrasting these two texts, we will assess the evolution of Aristotle’s thought and understand in what ways the Eudemian Ethics informs and complements the more widely studied Nicomachean Ethics.
- Teacher: Nevim Borçin