The Ethics of Aristotle - The Great Courses

Category: Adults, Misc. Non-fiction, Political
Language: EnglishKeywords: Aristotle Ethics History Philosophy politics The Great Courses
Written by The Great Courses
Read by Father Joseph Koterski, S.J.
Format: MP3
Unabridged
In this 12-lecture meditation on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, you’ll uncover the clarity and ethical wisdom of one of humanity’s greatest minds. Father Koterski shows how and why this great philosopher can help you deepen and improve your own thinking on questions of morality and leading the best life. The aim of these lectures is to provide you with a clear and thoughtful introduction to Aristotle as a moral philosopher. After absorbing some important background information designed to introduce you to Aristotle’s career and general approach to the various fields of knowledge, you turn to the ten books (today we would call them chapters) of this brief but towering work. Throughout, you’ll consider Aristotle’s account of the four main virtues of courage, moderation, justice, and prudence; his claims that happiness (eudaimonia) is the real goal of life; his explanations of how and why people attain- or fall short of- ethical excellence; his differences with his teachers Plato and Socrates over the hard question of what knowing rightly has to do with acting rightly; where Aristotle’s thought fits into the long history of ethical reflection; and much more.
Prepare for an illuminating, mind-broadening, and thought-provoking learning experience, and a chance to get up close and personal with one of Western philosophy’s founding fathers.
NOTE: The accompanying reference material is available as a PDF.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
01 The Philosopher of Common Sense
02 What Is the Purpose of Life?
03 What Is Moral Excellence?
04 Courage and Moderation
05 The Social Virtues
06 Six Types of Justice
07 The Intellectual Virtues
08 Struggling to Do Right
09 Friendship and the Right Life
10 What Is Friendship?
11 Pleasure and the Right Life
12 Attaining True Happiness
In this 12-lecture meditation on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, you’ll uncover the clarity and ethical wisdom of one of humanity’s greatest minds. Father Koterski shows how and why this great philosopher can help you deepen and improve your own thinking on questions of morality and leading the best life. The aim of these lectures is to provide you with a clear and thoughtful introduction to Aristotle as a moral philosopher. After absorbing some important background information designed to introduce you to Aristotle’s career and general approach to the various fields of knowledge, you turn to the ten books (today we would call them chapters) of this brief but towering work. Throughout, you’ll consider Aristotle’s account of the four main virtues of courage, moderation, justice, and prudence; his claims that happiness (eudaimonia) is the real goal of life; his explanations of how and why people attain- or fall short of- ethical excellence; his differences with his teachers Plato and Socrates over the hard question of what knowing rightly has to do with acting rightly; where Aristotle’s thought fits into the long history of ethical reflection; and much more.
Prepare for an illuminating, mind-broadening, and thought-provoking learning experience, and a chance to get up close and personal with one of Western philosophy’s founding fathers.

NOTE: The accompanying reference material is available as a PDF.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
01 The Philosopher of Common Sense
02 What Is the Purpose of Life?
03 What Is Moral Excellence?
04 Courage and Moderation
05 The Social Virtues
06 Six Types of Justice
07 The Intellectual Virtues
08 Struggling to Do Right
09 Friendship and the Right Life
10 What Is Friendship?
11 Pleasure and the Right Life
12 Attaining True Happiness