Philosophers: Aristotle

Question 1

Aristotle was very popular and is admired for his ——

Answer 1

Ethics

Question 2

What does Ethics mean?

Answer 2

questions related to what is right and what is wrong.

Question 3

What kinds of questions did Aristotle ask?

Answer 3

Is it acceptable to steal?
To lie?
Is it acceptable to kill?

Question 4

What did he realise about happiness?

Answer 4

He realised that to be truly happy, we need to become Good people, and to become Good people, we need to fulfill our purpose and become the very best possible versions of ourselves and to develop our intelligence and skills in decision-making, as well as preparing our moral character through the practice of virtuous behaviours.

Question 5

What does virtuous mean?

Answer 5

having or showing high moral standards.

Question 6

What did he think about the balance of being virtuous?

Answer 6

If a person only ever thinks of others and never of their own good, then this is not virtuous. The right balance is essential.

Question 7

Aristotle believed that virtues always form a midpoint between two extremes:

Answer 7

vices of excess (too much)
vices of deficiency (too little)
It is by avoiding these vices that we can cultivate virtues and become Good people. This, Aristotle believed, would enable us to achieve true happiness, a state he called eudaimonia (meaning ‘human flourishing’).