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Everything is done in pursuit of the good (the next question would be what…
- Everything is done in pursuit of the good
- the next question would be what is the highest good, the answer being happiness
- In order to explain what constitutes as happiness, Aristotle presents the argument of the three lives.
This whole talk of happiness and human function also raises the question of how one becomes happy, through learning, habituation, or something else?
He decides happiness isn't divine but it is found through learning and virtue as the goal of virtue is of the best good.
Lets chat about virtue for a hot minute shall we. there are two kinds of virtue, character virtue and intellectual virtue. You gain intellectual virtue through learning. you gain character virtue though habitation
Intellectual virtue is gained through learning. in order to understand these, we must first agree that there are two rational parts to the soul, one is the contemplative part, the other the rationally calculating part.
the contemplative part deals with just normal contemplation and facts, the rational part makes the decisions that ultimately lead to the good.
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the third is prudence, prudence pertains to practical matters in pursuit of the good.
second, the craft part uses the creation to search for reason but the craft must be made according to reason
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Fist is the scientific part, it uses deduction and rational though to reach the truth
the fifth is wisdom, this is the highest form as it provides the truth about the other principles, what is wise never changes.
Lets talk character virtue real quick, most specifically the habituation to achieve it. one is habituated through pain and pleasure. you use the two to help moderate and aim for the mean.
Obviously there are three core parts to this argument. the three lives are as follows, the gratifying one, the life of honor, and the contemplative life.
those in the gratifying life perceive the good to be what is gratifying, similar to animals. not much going for them
up next is the honorable life. problem here is that its superficial because honor depends on the the people doing the honoring. there's a possibility that virtue is the actual pursuit but one can have virtue while sleeping his whole life.
this leaves us with the 3rd choice, the contemplative life. Contemplation is seen as the height of human function.
Function Argument
In order to better grasp what the best good is, we must first understand the human function, cue the function argument. the question presented is what is the function of human, do we have one or are we naturally idle.
We determine that the natural function of a human being is that of reason and rational thinking as we are the only thing capable of it. he then determines that the human good to be activity in accordance with virtue.