Topic:	Aristotle
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Guest:	Chris Bobonich, Professor of Philosophy, Stanford University
What is it?	Aristotle's philosophical doctrines have permeated and helped shape Western Culture in spheres as disparate as cosmology, biology, ethics, physics, politics, and logic.  Join John and Ken for a tour of some of the greatest hits of one of the greatest philosophers of Antiquity.

About the Guest

Professor Bobonich specializes in ancient Greek philosophy.  His recent book, Plato's Utopia Recast: His Later Ethics And Politics, examines Plato's later dialogues, with a special emphasis upon the Laws, and argues that in these late works, Plato both rethinks and revises the basic ethical and poltical positions that he held in his better-known earlier works, such as the Republic.  He is currently working on Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics.

Listening Notes

Aristotle was Plato's greatest student. One of his big contributions to philosophy was the theory of the four kinds of causes. Ken introduces the guest, Chris Bobonich, professor at Stanford University. Aristotle's ideal state would be ruled by the virtuous citizens. John asks whether that is elitist and Bobonich concedes the point. Aristotle thinks that a state is an association for allowing each citizen to live well. What was Aristotle's notion of friendship? It was broader than our modern notion of friendship. It was closer to the idea of people helping each other be virtuous.

Aristotle thought the state had a duty to morally improve its citizens. Modern political theorists do not agree. Bobonich argues that Aristotle's notion of a state's purpose is not completely alien to modern minds. Aristotle didn't think that the state should be barred from religion and censorship.

Aristotle's ethical theory was centered on the question of what kind of life to live. It was not concerned with discovering what actions are right. Why does modern ethical theory differ so much from Aristotle's? Bobonich thinks a lot of the change is due to Judeo-Christian influence. Modern virtue ethics is a revival of Aristotelian ideas about ethics. Aristotle did not think it was possible to specify actions that are always right or always wrong. Aristotle thought that having the virtues was essential to living a happy life.

• Amy Standen the Roving Philosophical Reporter (Seek to 04:35): Amy Standen interviews Richard Rubenstein, an Aristotle scholar, about Aristotle's historical influence on ancient Greek, ancient Arab, and medieval European civilizations.

• Conundrum (Seek to 47:25): Jose from Spain thinks we have a duty to prevent avoidable deaths. This provides an argument for gun control. In turn, it also provides an argument for restricting ownership of cars. Should cars be restricted like guns should be? Is this a good analogy?

Additional Resources

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

   

  • entry on Artistotle's ethics

 

• entry on Aristotle's logic

 

• entry on Aristotle's metaphysics

 

• entry on Aristotle's political theory

 

• entry on Aristotle's rhetoric

 

• entry on virtue ethics

• Raphael's “School of Athens” that John mentions

• An outline of Aristotle's Metaphysics Zeta

• A brief overview of Aristotle's contributions to science

• A biography of Aristotle

• The Wikipedia entry on Aristotle

• The Basic Works of Aristotle, Modern Library Classics edition

• Aristotle: Introductory Readings

• The Complete Works of Aristotle vol. 1 and vol. 2

• Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics

• Aristotle's Politics

• The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle

• Mortimer Adler's introduction to Aristotle, Aristotle for Everybody

• Richard Rubenstein's book that was mentioned on the show, Aristotle's Children

• Henry Veatch's Aristotle, a Contemporary Appreciation

• Jonathan Lear's Aristotle: The Desire to Understand

• A collection of essays on virtue ethics

• Richard Taylor's introduction to virtue ethics

• Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, which was mentioned in the show