Aristotle’s Ethics

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics might be second only to the Bible itself in terms of moral influence on world history and ethical philosophy. This course dives into the timeless truths about moral goodness, virtue, prudence, and friendship contained in the Ethics, giving students an opportunity to understand the foundations of Western civilization’s morality. We also spend a little time looking at the influence of the Ethics on later thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and John Locke.

Course Objectives:

1. To provide strong familiarity with one of the classical world’s greatest moral thinkers.
2. To cultivate the student’s ability to understand the inner logic of a text through thoughtful reading and contextual study.
3. To understand Aristotle’s ideas of virtue and moral goodness.
4. To recognize Aristotle’s influence on later moral philosophers.
5. To strengthen the student’s own moral virtues.
6. To develop persuasive writing and general essay writing skills.

Texts:

• Aristotle, The Nichomachean Ethics, trans. J. A. K. Thomson, ed. Hugh Tredennick (London: Penguin, 2004), ISBN: 978-0-140-44949-5.