Aristotle and Ethical Egoism - 818 Words

Every person is born into this world with the opportunity to grow and realize his or her true potential. Aristotle believes that this is something everyone should work to achieve. No one intentionally wants to fail at being a human being and so people do whatever they can to continue to flourish. Aristotle’s philosophy favors ethical egoism because he believes that everything people do is in order to secure their own happiness in the end. According to Aristotle, human’s have two sides, an animal side and a side of reason. If we only indulged in our animal side, we would never accomplish our ultimate goal of happiness. While engaging in the pleasures of what the animal a part of us wants, we help neither others nor ourselves. In order†¦show more content†¦A person cannot become good if they don’t follow through on good actions. According to Aristotle, â€Å"†¦have these feelings at the right time, about the right things, towards the right people, for the right end, and in the right way, is the intermediate and best condition and this is proper to virtue,†(Aristotle pg. 24). When working towards the highest end of happiness, a person has to have the right attitude in order for their actions to be virtuous. A virtuous attitude benefits the greater good. Aristotle believed that it was important for an individual to live their life in a way that would nurture their growth and flourishing. Through a virtuous life, an actual person would contribute positively to the common good of all. As a result, the individual helps himself or herself live a successful life. If the common good is successful, all a part of the common good will flourish. Through being conscious about ones actions and living a respectable life, anyone can reach their ultimate goal of happiness, something Aristotle believes keeps everything inShow MoreRelatedThe Ethics Of Virtue Ethics925 Words   |  4 PagesVirtue ethics is a normative theory whose founda tions were laid by Aristotle. This theory approaches normative ethics in substantially different ways than consequentialist and deontological theories. In this essay, I will contrast and compare virtue ethics to utilitarianism, ethical egoism, and Kantianism to demonstrate these differences. There is one fundamental aspect of virtue ethics that sets it apart from the other theories I will discuss. For the sake of brevity and to avoid redundancy, I willRead MoreEthical Egoism, Ethical Altruism, And Eudaimonia1660 Words   |  7 PagesEthical Egoism, Ethical Altruism, and Eudaimonia are terms adversely mentioned, and used interchangeably, especially in the philosophical field. 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