Aristotle and Moral Responsibility

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Aristotle's belief that human beings are morally responsible for their conception of the good life, which was based on his determination that every form of activity people engage in has an ultimate goal that they consider good. The paper explains Aristotle's argument that because there cannot be an endless regression of external motivations, an intrinsic motivation for achieving the highest good must exist. The paper further explains how moral responsibility extends across desires to the conduct those desires produce and to the ends such conduct achieves.

From the Paper:

"Aristotle believed that we are morally responsible for our conception of the good life, and based this belief on his determination that every form of activity people engage in has an ultimate goal which they consider good. Furthermore, Aristotle argued that because there cannot be an endless regression of external motivations, there must be an intrinsic motivation for achieving the highest good. This highest good is the goal towards which all human activity is directed."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aristotle. Complete Works of Aristotle. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995.
• _ _ _. The Basic Works of Aristotle. Princeton: Princeton Review, 2003.
• _ _ _. Nicomachean Ethics. Classics. Online. Available: http://classics.mit .edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html. 18 March 2007.

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