PHIL30590

Aristotle's 'Nicomachean Ethics' and 'Politics' are masterpieces of moral and political philosophy, and remain of great interest and influence today. As Aristotle sees it, ethics and politics are both concerned with the same thing: the pursuit of happiness. In the 'Nicomachean Ethics' he is concerned with identifying what an individual's happiness consists in, while in the 'Politics' he attempts to identify which political system will best promote the happiness of each citizen. In this module we will examine the key doctrines that Aristotle argues for in these seminal texts. Aristotle's work will be examined in its appropriate historical and philosophical context, in particular in relation to his great predecessors, Socrates and Plato.
Every student of philosophy should have the opportunity to read and study the 'Nicomachean Ethics'; it is a classic philosophical text, taught in every respectable philosophy department in the world. By looking also at the 'Politics', we will get a complete view on what Aristotle himself called 'the Philosophy of Human Life'.