The most important thought in Aristotle's ethical theory is the golden mean, which is not limited to ethics, but has actually become a core principle of his social and political thought. The following are the relevant materials of Aristotle's philosophical papers that I have carefully sorted out, hoping to help you!

Aristotle's philosophical papers

Aristotle's political philosophy of the middle way

The most important thought in Aristotle's ethical theory is the golden mean, which is not limited to ethics, but has actually become a core principle of his social and political thought. He summed up the Greek way of life. Whether in personal behavior or in city-state life, it is irrational to live too much or too little, and it is impossible to cultivate good deeds and obtain happiness.

Aristotle; Neo-Confucianism; Kindness; Middle way; political philosophy

First, political science is the best subject.

Russell said in the History of Western Philosophy:? Aristotle's ethical theory is nothing special in philosophy, just observing the results of personnel. ? Before I read Nico Kyle's Ethics, I had the same prejudice. I think ethics has long been divided, and the only really interesting things in philosophy are Aristotle's category and metaphysics. However, after reading The Republic and Nicokal Ethics and Politics, I found that real philosophical thoughts come from practice and cannot be separated from people's lives. Russell's view is probably because he views philosophy from the standpoint of logical positivism.

The philosophy of studying human behavior norms and morality is named? Ethics? It started with Aristotle. In the first chapter of the second volume of Nicokal Ethics, Aristotle said:? Rational morality is produced and cultivated through teaching, so it takes time and experience. Ethics is passed down from custom, so? Ethics? What is the name made of? Habit? The word has been slightly changed. This shows that our ethics are not naturally generated, because naturally generated things cannot change their nature. For example, the nature of a stone is to fall down. Even if you throw it up 10,000 times, it can't get used to rising. Therefore, our ethics is neither out of natural nature nor against natural nature, but naturally accepted and perfected through habit. ? It can be seen that ethics is a code of conduct formed in social life, and ethics is a knowledge of doing and doing, which can only be perfected in living habits.

Nicokal's Ethics consists of ten volumes, which can be divided into (1) Volume I to Volume III. The fifth chapter is an overview of ethics. Okay？ What is it, what is ethics, the middle way, choice, will; (2) Volume III, Chapters VI to IV discuss various personal qualities such as courage and temperance; (3) The fifth volume is devoted to righteousness; (4) The sixth volume discusses morality, rationality and practical wisdom; (5) The seventh volume discusses self-control and non-self-control; (6) Volume 89 on friendship; (7) The tenth volume returns to the general introduction, criticizes various theories about happiness that were popular at that time, and puts forward that speculative life is the highest happiness.

At the beginning of the first chapter of the first volume of Nico Kyle's Ethics, it is clearly pointed out that all kinds of skills, knowledge, behaviors and considerations aim at some kind of goodness, and goodness is the goal pursued by all things (teleological color). Let's imagine: if there is a kind of practice that only aims at oneself and everything else is for it, then? It? What is this? This must be the highest good. Therefore, if people try their best to explore the knowledge about the best, it will definitely have a great impact on real life. Aristotle believes that the discipline of studying the best is political science (the highest discipline in practical knowledge, not from the perspective of theoretical knowledge). He said: it is political science that stipulates what knowledge the polis needs, which part of people should learn which part of knowledge and to what extent. We can see that those noble talents, such as tactics, financial management and public speaking, are subordinate to and serve political science. Political science also stipulates what we should and should not do, so the purpose of this subject includes the purpose of all other disciplines, so the goodness of human beings is also the goodness of political science. Even if the personal goodness is the same as that of the polis, it is obviously bigger and more complete to obtain and maintain the goodness of the polis than the personal goodness. It is valuable for a person to get good, but it is more glorious and sacred to get good for the nation and the city-state. So the highest and most authoritative knowledge should be political science.

As mentioned above, since all knowledge and actions aim at some kind of goodness, what is the purpose of politics (that is, the highest goodness)? Aristotle thinks that anyone will admit that the purpose is happiness. However, what is happiness is a controversial issue. Aristotle explained that the highest goodness, happiness, is not what most people think of as enjoyment, honor or wealth, nor what Plato said? Kind thoughts? It is the best and most perfect moral activity.

This view of happiness put forward by Aristotle is very different from that of ordinary people at that time. The ancient Greeks generally believed that a person's fate is changeable, happiness or unhappiness comes from opportunities, and people can only passively accept it. Greek epics and tragedies are full of such stories.

Since happiness is an activity that conforms to the highest and most perfect moral quality, what kind of quality is moral? Aristotle pointed out that ethics and morality have such a nature that they are always destroyed by excess or deficiency. When a person is afraid, brave and eager, he will feel pain or happiness, and more or less he will not handle it well, resulting in excess or deficiency; It is best to deal with the right people and things in the right way at the right time, that is, to choose the middle way of the mean.

Second, the best political system is governed by the middle class.

Aristotle said in Nicokal's Ethics: Good moral quality lies in the practice of the doctrine of the mean, and this principle can also be applied to city-state life.

Chapter 11 of the fourth volume of Politics begins to discuss what is the best regime for most city-states and what is the best life for most people. Aristotle said that this is not a standard that ordinary people can't accept, but a standard that only people with talent and special education can reach, and it is not just an ideal country put forward by ambitious people, but a life that most people can practice and a regime that most city-states can implement. This is the realistic political system.

Citizens of all city-states can be divided into three parts: the richest people, the poorest people and the middle class in between. He believes that the middle class can best obey reason, while those who tend to be bipolar in wealth do not obey the guidance of reason. The extremely rich are brave and presumptuous, and the extremely poor are lazy and rogue. No matter in military or civil institutions, it is difficult to control and it is easy to cause great harm to the polis. Aristotle believes that a city-state exists as a * * * identity body and should be composed of equal or equal people as much as possible, and the middle class has the most such characteristics. Only the middle-class city-state can get excellent governance, which is also in line with the natural nature of the city-state. The middle class is the most content, and such a city-state is the most stable.

So Aristotle thinks that the best political identity should be in the hands of the middle class. When the middle class is stronger than the two extremes of the rich and the poor, it can prevent the regime from changing to the extreme direction, while those who are in power by the rich will become extreme oligarchs and those who are in power by the poor will become extreme democracy, both of which may become the worst tyranny or tyrant. Moreover, only this moderate political system can eliminate party disputes, and there will be less local party struggles among the middle class. There is less party struggle in big countries than in small countries, because there are many middle classes in big countries, while citizens in small countries are often either rich or poor, and the middle class is insignificant.

Democracy is more stable and lasting than oligarchy, because the number and status of the middle class in democracy exceed oligarchy; If the middle class is small and the poor are dominant in democratic politics, civil war will soon occur and the city-state will collapse. Aristotle believes that the fact that can prove the superiority of the middle class is that many excellent legislators come from middle-class citizens, such as Solon and lycurgus.

Aristotle said, so we can understand why most city-states are either democratic or oligarchic now, because most city-states have a small number of middle classes. If the rich or civilians have an advantage, they will oppress the middle class, pull the political power to their side and establish oligarchy or democracy. For example, Athens and Sparta, two big city-states dominated by Greece at that time, insisted on their own political system from their own interests, one encouraged democracy and the other encouraged oligarchs, and took care of their own interests, not the public interests of each state. Aristotle believes that it is for these reasons that intermediate government rarely appears, only in a few city-states.

Aristotle also pointed out that no matter what kind of political system is established, legislators must take care of the interests of the middle class. Even if democratic laws are enacted, the middle class should be in power. When the middle class surpasses the other two parts or one of them, the regime may remain stable.