Aristotle on the Human Good by Richard Kraut

Aristotle on the Human Good by Richard Kraut

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, which equates the ultimate end of human life with happiness (eudaimonia), is thought by many readers to argue that this highest goal consists in the largest possible aggregate of intrinsic goods. Richard Kraut proposes instead that Aristotle identifies happiness with only one type of good: excellent activity of the rational soul. In defense of this reading, Kraut discusses Aristotle's attempt to organize all human goods into a single structure, so that each subordinate end is desirable for the sake of some higher goal. This book also emphasizes the philosopher's hierarchy of natural kinds, in which every type of creature achieves its good by imitating divine life. As Kraut argues, Aristotle's belief that thinking is the sole activity of the gods leads him to an intellectualist conception of the ethical virtues. Aristotle values these traits because, by subordinating emotion to reason, they enhance our ability to lead a life devoted to philosophy or politics.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780691073491
ISBN 10	069107349X
Title	Aristotle on the Human Good
Author	Richard Kraut
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Princeton University Press
Year published	1989-12-21
Number of pages	392
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.