Kevin Stilley

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Happiness in Aristotle’s Ethics

Aristotle opens this work with the claim that “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly, every action and every intention is thought to aim at some good.”  Is he right? (page 1)

There are three major streams of inquiry in western philosophy; (1) metaphysics, (2) epistemology, (3) axiology.   What questions/answers do these streams represent?  Which of these is illustrated in Aristotle’s Ethics? (page 1)

When Aristotle speaks of virtue, to what is he referring?

What, according to Aristotle, is “the good”? (page 1)  How does his terminology relate to that of Plato?  (pages 5-6) Do they both have the same definition of “The Good”?

Why does Aristotle say that a young man is not a proper student of politics?  (page 3)  Do you agree with Aristotle?

What does Aristotle believe to be “the highest of all goods achievable by action”? (page 3)  How comfortable are you with this truth claim?

Describe Aristotle’s concept of “happiness.” (page 3, 8) Building on his definition of happiness he writes, “then the good for a man turns out to be an activity of the soul according to virtue, and if the virtues are many, then according to the best and most complete virtue.  And we should add ‘in a complete life’, for one swall does not make a spring, nor does one day; and so too one day or a short time does not make a man blessed or happy.”  What is his point(s)? (page 10)

We will be reading about Plato’s ethical system later in the course.  For now, it is sufficient to note that while “happiness” was at the center of Aristotle’s system of ethics, “justice” was at the center of Plato’s system of ethics (and, of course “The Good”).   Around what would you build your own system of ethics?

Aristotle describes “three kinds of life [people].”  What are they?  Can you describe them?  (pages 4-5) 

Why does the life of a money-maker not make a fourth category?  (page 5)

When describing his disagreement with the Platonists, Aristotle says that “it is sacred to honor truth above friendship.”  Have you ever been put in a position where you had to make this choice? How does this tension exist in the various elements of your life?  Family?  Academic?  Theology?

What does Aristotle mean when he says that man is by nature political?  (page 9)

Would Aristotle participate in a small-group ministry?

Aristotle notes three kinds of good?  What are they?  Which does he say is the most important?  (page 11)

Aristotle’s ethical sytem emphasizes action.   Why?  (page 12)  How does this compare and contrast with a New Testament ethic?

Aristotle puts forward the question as to “whether happiness is acquired by learning or by habit or by some other form of training, or wheter it comes to us by some divine providence or even by luck.”  Do theologians agree on the answer to this question?  What do you think?

Why do you have to wait till the end of a man’s life to determine whether or not he is happy?  Who is the Solon that Aristotle is referring to? (page 14)  Do we then base happiness on a man’s fortunes?  (page 15)  Would Aristotle approve of the premises behind the Sermon on the Mount?

When comparing justice and happiness, which does Aristotle say is more praised and which is more godlike or better? 

What does Aristotle believe about the relationship between religion and politics?  (page 18)

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Dishonest Churches

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This Sunday, many preachers will stand in the pulpit and proclaim the virtue of honesty and the primacy of Truth. And, then the church will run an ad in the local paper that seems to ignore that message. Consider the following account shared by Larry Osborne in his book Sticky Church.

“When I first came to North Coast, we were a small church meeting in an old high school cafeteria. I hadn’t been there long when someone showed me an adveertisement we were putting in the local newspaper each weekend. You know the drill: We weere supposedly the friendliest church in town, with great preaching, great worship, and a world-class children’s program.

“The truth was, we had none of those things. Not even close. I’m not sure I would have kept coming if I hadn’t been the pastor.

“The cafeteria was old and smelly. Remnants of food fights hung from the wall. One whole side of the room was a large Plexiglas window, which was cool–except when skateboarders started showing off in the middle of a sermon. That was hard to compete with. Most of the time they’d win. They were a lot more interesting than my early sermons. They’d probably still be more interesting. That’s one reason we moved.

“So I did the only reasonable thing. I canceled the ad. I had enought issues on my hands. I didn’t need the Federal Communications Commission hassling me for false advertising.”

When was the last time you checked your promotional literature for accuracy?

I hasten to say that I think one of the most critical skills of leadership is storytelling. We tell the stories of who we are and in the process we become what we say we are. In this instance, ontology recapitulates philology.

However, leaders need to be circumspect to avoid dishonest misrepresentation. It may not be true that your church is the most loving church in your town, but a similar message can be sent by saying, “We want to be the most loving church in town.” With this alteration you are still casting a transformative vision, you are still painting a picture with which people can identify and an ideal to which people can aspire, but you are not misrepresenting yourself.

So, tell your church’s story, cast your churches vision, but please, please, please be honest about it.

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Slowing Down Your Church

Slow Down

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Planning another big event at your church will probably make your people more active and bring in more people, but is it really what is best for your church? Consider the following paragraph from W. R. Greg’s Life at High Pressure.

Beyond doubt, the most salient characteristic of life in this latter portion of the 19th century is its SPEED, — what we may call its hurry, the rate at which we move, the high-pressure at which we work;– and the question to be considered is, first, whether this rapid rate is in itself a good; and, next, whether it is worth the price we pay for it–a price rarely reckoned up, and not very easy thoroughly to ascertain. Unquestionably, life seems fuller and longer for this speed–is it truly ricer and more effective? No doubt we can do more in our seventy years for the pace at which we travel; but are the extra things we can do always worth doing? No doubt, we can do more; but is “doing” everything, and “being” nothing.

That was written in the 19th century. How much more might it apply in the 21st century?

[Read more…]

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George Santayana – Select Quotes

To fight is a radical instinct; if men have nothing else to fight over they will fight over words, fancies, or women, or they will fight because they dislike each other’s looks, or because they have met walking in opposite directions. To knock a thing down, especially if it is cocked at an arrogant angle, is a deep delight to the blood.

Fanaticism consist in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.
~ in The Life of Reason

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
~ in The Life of Reason

History is alway written wrong, and so always needs to be rewritten.
~ in The Life of Reason

To call war the soil of courage and virtue is like calling debauchery the soil of love.

Love makes us poets and the approach of death should make us philosophers.George Santayana

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