Nicomachean Ethics Book 6 PDF

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HW outline for Nicomachean Ethics Book 6
Dr. Morelli ...

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Nicomachean Ethics Book 6 Overall, Aristotle discusses the idea of virtue again but this time the intellectual virtues. In his reasoning he describes how the soul is divided into two parts and three capacites. This is the reason for out rational thought and desire of our body. And with our rational soul we have five major ways to arrive at the best truth. Each way is connected to the last until we reach the best truth through wisdom. Lastly, Aristotle depicts the two types of virtues and how they differ and effect us in their own ways. 1. The soul contains two parts: rational and nonrational. The non rational soul is what we share with other animals/mammals. This is the soul of no reason, rather instinct and reaction. The rational soul itself has two more divides: scientific and calculating. The scientific rational soul help us (humans) understand knowable facts. While the calculating rational soul is the part of the soul that is responsible for/helps us make our every day to day decisions. 2. The soul contains three capacites: perception, understanding and desire. All three capacities combined control our actions and our truth. The perception capacity, like the non rational soul, is what we share with other animals/mammals. It is not really used for much. The desire capacity allows us to understand what we want and what we do not want (want we want to go for versus what we want to avoid at all costs). This desire capacity must be aligned with the truth for it to be a good decision. The understanding capacity is not really on its own. Instead it is morphed desire and thought, and with all three of those humans can get closer to the truth itself. 3. There are five virtues for arriving at the truth: scientific knowledge, art skill, prudence, intuition and wisdom. Scientific knowledge is through deductive (general to specific) or inductive reasoning (specifics to general). Art skills is hands on production in order to fulfill reasoning. Prudence is synonymous with common sense and therefore helps us pursue the good in life all the time. Intuition allows us to use reason and knowledge at once to obtain the important information from sciences. Wisdom is the combination of intuition and knowledge. This is how we arrive at the highest of all truths. . 4. Two types of virtue: natural and full. Natural virtues are what we are born with towards nature, it is simply in our DNA. Full virtue is using knowledge, intuition, prudence, etc. to obtain virtue. We are not born with it but work and strive towards it at all times. Personally, this text was a lot. There were a lot of definitions of definitions which made it difficult to understand it all. I do like the way in which Aristotle breaks down everything into layman terms. He breaks down the soul into two things and three capacities he breaks down the way to achieve truth into five easier things to understand. He really did write this for anyone to be able to read and understand. 1. Since the perception capacity isn’t really used for much, is it safe to say that it is like how the body hinders the soul from separation, that the perception capacity hinders the body from a real truth, since all animals have it? 2. Are we born with any bits and pieces of full virtue? Or is it all developed throughout our life time? 3. Is everyone born with the same natural virtues? Or do some people have more natural virtues than others? Do some people have different ones? Does this affect the way in which we grow up, learn and develop?...