Goodness According to Aristotle and Alighieri Comparison Essay by ABCs

This paper discusses how goodness is viewed in two distinctly different historical and cultural contexts, namely, Dante's "Inferno" and Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics." The writer explains that Aristotle is primarily concerned with the practical dynamic of relationships between behavior and human interaction, while the "Inferno," an intellectual descendant of the rationality of "Nicomachean Ethics," reflects equally the influence of medieval Christian ideas of justice and goodness. The writer shows where Dante concurs with Aristotle and where the 'good of intellect' in Dante does not refer to a core morality but to goodness as part of Christian morality. The paper concludes that although Dante's Christian ideology provides a stark contrast in perspective, the works remain equally committed to the idea of goodness as a function of human interaction.