From 10/29: The Good Life

So what is the key to happiness? Is Aristotle right to say it is some combination of virtuous activity and philosophical contemplation? Further, do you agree that the best sort of society is made up of the best sort of people who maximally participate in the political process? Or is Plato right to say that the best society would be run by the enlightened few? Argue away!

For 10/29: Aristotle's Ethics & Politics

Whereas the Ethics focuses on the good life for the individual, the Politics focuses on the good life for the community as a whole. As we might expect, however, these two "lives" are importantly related to one another. So, what do you think of Aristotle's prescription for the happy life? Are his critiques of Plato's ideal "Republic" justified? Is it even possible to give an account for the best sort of human life and the best sort of political state? Certainly not easy questions, but important ones to consider nonetheless.

From 10/22: It's all about Soul

For Aristotle, all living things - be they plants, animals, or humans - have a soul, albeit in different forms. Do you think that Aristotle does well in making these distinctions or do you think they leave something to be desired? Certainly, modern biologists still deal with classifications. Might they take issue with some of the lines that Aristotle draws in the proverbial sand, particularly when it comes to defining human beings, or might they more or less agree with Aristotle's analysis?

For 10/22: Aristotle's De Anima

De Anima moves away from the more general considerations of being and becoming that we have been dealing with and focuses on the nature of living beings. How does Aristotle categorize the different types of soul? Is his understanding of the relationship between the body and soul consistent with his metaphysics? Do you, personally, find anything surprising here? Which insights do you take to be the most important and why? Clue us in to what you're thinking.

From 10/15: Thought Thinking Itself

On Wednesday, we considered a wide variety of topics: from the order of nature to the importance of philosophical wonder to the alleged necessity of the unmoved mover. For Aristotle, of course, all of these topics center around the question of Being, the most fundamental of all questions. Since all of us are instilled with a desire to know, let's keep the questioning going.

For 10/15: Aristotle's Metaphysics

Unlike the so-called "special" sciences (such as biology, zoology, or astronomy) which consider a particular domain of beings, Aristotle's Metaphysics explores being as being. By practicing "first philosophy," the metaphysician considers the underlying principles and causes that pervade the coming-to-be and passing-away of all beings, in both an accidental and substantial sense. In particular we find here an in-depth consideration of substance, the relationship between actuality and potentiality, and the special substance which Aristotle calls divine.

From 10/8: Change We Can Believe In

Against the Parmenidean claim that nothing comes to be, Aristotle argues that change is indeed possible on both a substantial and accidental level. He then goes on to detail the four causes that are involved in the coming-to-be process (namely, the material, formal, efficient, and final) before considering whether luck and chance can be considered legitimate causes as well. Now that we've taken our first steps into Aristotle, let us know what you're thinking.

For 10/8: Aristotle's Physics

Though Aristotle takes more of an interest in the natural world than his predecessor, Plato, his relections on nature revolve around the relationship between being and becoming. In the Physics we find Aristotle discoursing on some of his famous doctrines, including the four causes, the relationship between form and matter, and the order apparent within the natural world. So let us begin again, retaining (hopefully) what we have already learned.

From 10/1: For the Love of. . .Rhetoric?!?!

Perhaps you have more to say on the nature of love. Does Plato have it right or does something seem amiss? Or perhaps you'd rather comment on the art of rhetoric and the power of persuasion - certainly an interesting subject during the last few weeks of the presidential campaigns. Let the debates begin!