By Mohamed Rami El Kurdi and Khalil Faraj In Book X, section 7, Aristotle talks first about happiness and contemplation, he uses his logic and perspective vision to show that the highest happiness is the contemplative life. According to book I, happiness is an activity in accordance with virtue, we can assume that it is also accordance with the highest virtue which is the intellect, in other words, and activity of intellect is the best human activity. To his point of view, he uses many reasons such as that it corresponds to the highest part of men, it’s concerned with the best objects, most continuous, self-sufficient and it’s also loved for its own sake. In addition pleasure has been shown to be a part of happiness, and Aristotle has proved that intellectual activity gives the most pleasure. Also, happiness is thought to imply leisure so it must be an intellectual and not a practical activity. He used the example of politics and military to show his point of view. Practical virtues are in accordance with politics and military profession that are incompatible with leisure, whereas the activity of intellect take its form as a contemplation, it possesses pleasure to itself which intensifies its activity which will create the leisuredness that with all the other attributes will make the perfect happiness for the human being and will let them have the contemplative life. However such life is humanly impossible. Such a life is above man, for it is possible only insofar as man has something divine in him, since the intellect is a sort of divine element in man. But Aristotle mentioned that even if can’t live that life, we should not forget the divine and to have only human thoughts, which. Man should try to live according to the best of his soul and thus to partake of immortality. He also stated that the best life for man is the intellect life so that life will be the happiest. In section 8, according to Aristotle, moral activity is considered a secondary happiness since it is concerned with human affairs and passions. The virtue of intellect is however separate from the passions it requires less external need than moral. In addition the moral virtues belong to the composite person which is his soul and not his divine. Aristotle used another argument of gods to show that perfect happiness contemplative activity, since gods don’t anything they have all the happiness and they are blessed, they don’t need any addition external needs to be happy. To him, happiness is co-extensive with contemplation and the more people contemplate, the happier they are he used the example of animals to shows his point, that animals have no share in happiness, being completely incapable of such an activity He adds that the human activity closest to the activity of the gods is the happiest which means that contemplation is the most blessed human activity. However, being a human means that he must have external needs like food to live and to stay healthy, so to be happy we need external things. But As Solon stated, happy men are moderately supplied with external means and perform the noblest actions. And the men that use the activity of intellect will be most loved by god. Last but not least, Aristotle said in section 9 that it’s not enough to know goodness, we should practice it. To be a virtuous man, we must possess and practice goodness and must see it in everyday to become a good human being. Men are guided by fear and when someone performs an action that has good effect, he should not examine their motives. To develop a true virtue we should be educated in good habits and characteristics since once has bad habits it will be hard to change them. In other words it is necessary to habituate the human being to enjoy and know what good is and to stay away from the bad and what is disgraceful. To perform these actions the state should practice education moral education on its citizens since it can make the good habits permanent. And in case we have a lack of state, it’s the duty and the responsibility of the parents and persons to make these good habits permanent for their children and friends and the coming generations. These persons will become lawgiver and from here Aristotle continues his discussion about laws in The Politics. Moving on to Virgil and the Aeneid, the author begins by announcing his theme. He is going to be telling the story of how Aeneas made his way from Troy to Italy and founded the precursor to the modern city of Rome. He asks a certain muse about why Juno (The queen of gods) is so mad against Aeneis and the Trojans. Juno is upset for two reasons: first of all because once upon a time, a Trojan prince named Paris chose Venus over her in a beauty contest, second of all, because Juno is in love with a city named Carthage. In addition she knows that many years later there will be a war between Rome and Carthage which will results in the complete destruction in Carthage. Juno first catches sight of Aeneas and his fleet as they are sailing past Sicily. Juno tells Aeolus (King of winds) to stir up the sea against the Trojans; she says she'll give him one of her nymphs to marry, in return for his trouble. He takes his spear and pounds on the mountain where the winds are locked up. Outcome the East Wind and the South Wind. They speed down to where the Trojans are sailing and stir up a storm against them. At that moment, Aeneas thinks back on his time in Troy and wishes if he had died there instead of sailing in the sea. Just then Neptune God of the sea detects turbulence in his domain, and orders the storm to stop at once thus saving Aeneas. After that Aeneas and his remaining ships decide to head for the nearest land and set camp. This happens to be Libya. He goes hunting with his friend Achates and brings back to the crew 7 dears (one for each ship they had lost). He gives his men a speech reminding them of how much they have suffered already. He tells them to look on the bright side that one day they might even look back nostalgically on these hardships. That night, Venus the goddess of love, who also happens to be Aeneas's mom, comes to Jupiter the king of gods. Venus complains to Jupiter about how Aeneas and his men have to suffer so much, when other Trojans, like a guy called Antenor, have already been able to settle in various parts of Italy.
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AuthorThis is created by the Students of CVSP 201 Archives
May 2015
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