Aristotle and the Ultimate Human Good

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Aristotle's view of the ultimate human good, particularly his discussions on both the ethical character of modern societies and on the theological interpretations of right and wrong. It describes Aristotle's basis of the conditions of community, enjoyment, political interaction and profound contemplation of things.

From the Paper:

"This quality that Aristotle was after was to comprehend internally what it means to be virtuous and how to act or behave accordingly. For Aristotle the good life, the virtuous life, is measured first by identifying the "universal good" to be utilized as a yardstick to first measure oneself and one's effectiveness at leading a virtuous life; i.e., contemplation. Aristotle's universal good is a yardstick with which the contemplative individual must measure his or her own existence from an internal perspective. One potential view of Aristotle's ultimate good then is that he accurately observes that a virtuous person engaging in the political life, must first have examined him or herself vis-a-vis this metaphorical yardstick before truly being able to be considered both virtuous and effective in external actions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aristotle & Roger Crisp (ed.). Nicomachean Ethics. Cambridge University Press London; 2000.
• O'Rourke, F. "Aristotle and the Metaphyics of Evolution." The Review of Metaphysics, 58/1(2004): 3+.
• Thom, J. C. "The Journey Up And Down: Pythagoras In Two Greek Apologists." Church History, 58/3(1989): 299-308.

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