Aristotle's Critique of Plato
Aristotle took a distinct path verging from the foundation of Plato's philosophy. In order to control society Plato used the noble lie, so people under the state wouldn't question their place in life. Aristotle, on the other hand, used the idea of "civic virtue of friendship" to create a sense of community. "For Aristotle, friendship is a virtue "most necessary for our life." Without friendship, life would be missing a major dimension and in consequence our live would lack real significance." (50) As this quote entails, friendship is important to Aristotle and is a major foundation for his philosophy. Plato's noble lie was a way to patch the giant hole in his theory of an ideal society, and Aristotle, to avoid the problems associated with ideal theories, has a state built on practical intelligence. "Aristotle starts from existing ways of life and finds the bases for a rational order to life contained in the ongoing practices of society." (48)......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 477
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |