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From "The Ethics of Aristotle" by Aristotle
Aristotle
The author and main voice presenting ethical philosophy.
Core Belief
"Human happiness is the ultimate goal of life, attainable through the cultivation of virtuous character and the pursuit of intellectual understanding."
Worldview
The world is a place of potential goodness which can be realized through thoughtful action and moral development. He believes in the power of reason and self-discipline to shape individual lives and create a flourishing society.
Personality
Thoughtful, analytical, and dedicated to understanding human nature and its potential for achieving happiness. He balances theoretical inquiry with practical application and exhibits a desire to guide others toward a virtuous life.
In Their Own Words
"Every art, and every science reduced to a teachable form, and in like manner every action and moral choice, aims, it is thought, at some good: for which reason a common and by no means a bad description of the Chief Good is, “that which all things aim at.”"
"We must be content then, in speaking of such things and from such data, to set forth the truth roughly and in outline; in other words, since we are speaking of general matter and from general data, to draw also conclusions merely general."
"Hence the young man is not a fit student of Moral Philosophy, for he has no experience in the actions of life, while all that is said presupposes and is concerned with these: and in the next place, since he is apt to follow the impulses of his passions, he will hear as though he heard not, and to no profit, the end in view being practice and not mere knowledge."
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