41–50 of 104 posts
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
I see this quote a lot and can never find it in original sources for Aristotle. It seems to be a misattribution from the foreword of Religion and the Pursuit of Truth by Lowell L Bennion https://archive.org/details/religionpursuito0000lowe/page/n5...
You know I always found it odd/unfair how religions were founded around Jesus, Muhammed etc but not for Aristotle, Socrates etc.
Actually reading Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics is worth it. Not because he's right about everything (he has some pretty messed up and weird views), but because it's challenging and good to think on, and chances are you'll take something away for yourself that you wouldn't have gotten from some webpage that took one-liners out of context, some of which aren't even by Aristotle.
You know I always found it odd/unfair how religions were founded around Jesus, Muhammed etc but not for Aristotle, Socrates etc.
I agree it’s still interesting that major religions were not founded at the time of the early philosophers — maybe it’s because religion as we conceive of it today depends on a type of bureaucracy that wasn’t achievable in the classical era?
Actually reading Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics is worth it. Not because he's right about everything (he has some pretty messed up and weird views), but because it's challenging and good to think on, and chances are you'll take something away for yourself that you wouldn't have gotten from some webpage that took one-liners out of context, some of which aren't even by Aristotle.
> he has some pretty messed up and weird views What’s an example?
edit: whoa, I didn't realize how racist this guy was. He could be classified as a eugenicist I suppose.
He also believed in spontaneous generation (fair, without technology we have now it would be really confusing to understand where all kinds of things come from).
Seemed to believe infinity was impossible yet also that the heavens are infinite. Maybe he distinguished between the earthly and heavenly planes, but still seemed to think they were similarly constructed from elements.
The list goes on.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> he has some pretty messed up and weird views What’s an example?
He thought some humans were slaves by nature and women were naturally inferior to men. edit: whoa, I didn't realize how racist this guy was. He could be classified as a eugenicist I suppose. He also believed in spontaneous generation (fair, without technology we have now it would be really confusing to understand where all kinds of things come from). Seemed to believe infinity was impossible yet also that the heavens…
> 2. "Happiness depends upon ourselves." he's quiet possibly referring to happiness as a relationship (with family, friends, colleagues, citizens etc) rather than just by oneself / isolation / individual. he famously said "man by nature is a political animal" (or social if you prefer)
I expect it’s more similar to the Buddhist idea that happiness is cultivated in your own mind. It’s driven internally rather than externally.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
He thought some humans were slaves by nature and women were naturally inferior to men. edit: whoa, I didn't realize how racist this guy was. He could be classified as a eugenicist I suppose. He also believed in spontaneous generation (fair, without technology we have now it would be really confusing to understand where all kinds of things come from). Seemed to believe infinity was impossible yet also that the heavens…
many humans are still slaves by nature -- look at how averse many folks in the society are to rational and pragmatic thinking, being enslaved by religion, ideology and showing indifference to human suffering, and endless worship of wealthy.
Also, he was referring to people performing labour, not people adhering to spiritual belief or ideological systems.
I see what you mean, but I don't think this means what he believed was true. I see it as categorically different. People adhering to beliefs without critical thought vs being forced into labour due to their 'nature' are very different matters.
Actually reading Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics is worth it. Not because he's right about everything (he has some pretty messed up and weird views), but because it's challenging and good to think on, and chances are you'll take something away for yourself that you wouldn't have gotten from some webpage that took one-liners out of context, some of which aren't even by Aristotle.
> he has some pretty messed up and weird views What’s an example?
In his defense (sorry if defending him offends here), women probably did, at the time, often have fewer teeth due to worse dental care.