Aristotle Views of Man-A Discussion

Introduction

Aristotle said, "The man who is incapable of working in common, or who is his self-sufficiency has no need of others, is no part of the community, like a beast or god." Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines self-sufficiency as: able to maintain oneself or itself without outside aid: capable of providing for one's own needs. In Homer's, The Iliad, Achilles was not only the main character, but also the figure that best describes the characteristics of man as defined by Achilles. Achilles was the son of the mortal Peleus and the Nereid Thetis. He was also the mightiest of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War. When Achilles was a boy, the seer Calchas prophesied that the city of Troy could not be taken without his help.

Discussion

Aristotle Views of Man

Abrams (pp. 333-339) mentions it seems as though a beast or God could not be bought with goods as well, therefore Achilles fits Aristotle's description as a God-like figure. The only need he seems to have is the need for women. Aristotle says, "has no need of others," in which Achilles fits very well. He was known to have a number of romantic episodes, along with the "prize" he won in The Iliad. In any sense, Achilles' does fit the description that Aristotle portrayed in his quote: "The man who is incapable of working in common, or who is his self-sufficiency has no need of others, is no part of the community, like a beast or god. He is self-sufficient in one sense, yet in another he is not. This is the first characteristic of Achilles that hinders Aristotle's statement. In Achilles encounter with Agamemnon (Abrams, pp. 333-339), he can't be bought by Agamemnon, because his claimed his life is more important that goods. er son went to Troy he would die an early death. He learned that he did need the care of others when Hector killed his best friend, Patroclus. Although he was the mightiest of the Greeks, he was not the biggest fan of most. The other aspect that he is not self-sufficient is that of women. In the time frame of Aristotle's quote, a beast would be described as a person that is despised which would also fit Achilles' character. Achilles, although very strong and powerful, felt that he was above the rest of mankind.

The ancient Greeks and particularly Plato and Aristotle contributed profoundly to the historical development of ideas about human nature. In various ways, they advanced the argument that human nature is fixed and personal qualities unalterable. Plato and Aristotle argued that human beings, animals, and things were expressions of underlying forms. For Plato, the material world known by sensation was merely a shadow of a more fundamental reality of unchanging forms or ideas perceived by the intellect or reason. Most important among forms is “goodness,” accessible only to reason (Abrams, pp. 333-339).

On the other hand, Aristotle saw form and matter as intertwined. According to Aristotle, humans share the same underlying form ...