Joseph Karuzis

Abstract: One of the goals in Aristotle’s investigations in the Metaphysics is to determine what the first principles are and what relation they have to the study of metaphysics, i.e., the science of being. For Aristotle, the first principles are the starting points of demonstration, and they are the foundation upon which all subsequent investigations into the science of being take place. In order to be able to conduct investigations into metaphysics it is necessary to determine foremost what those first principles are. This problem is first presented in Book Beta of the Metaphysics. Book Beta deals with fifteen aporia, or puzzles, that are associated with metaphysics, and for Aristotle, it is necessary to confront these puzzles in order to make any progress into investigations in metaphysics. The second aporia is concerned with whether or not it is the task of one single science, i.e. metaphysics, to investigate both the ultimate principles of being and the basic principles of logi...

One of the goals in Aristotle’s investigations in the Metaphysics is to determine what the first principles are and what relation they have to the study of metaphysics, i.e., the science of being. For Aristotle, the first principles are the starting points of demonstration, and they are the foundation upon which all subsequent investigations into the science of being take place. In order to be able to conduct investigations into metaphysics it is necessary to determine foremost what those first principles are. This problem is first presented in Book Beta of the Metaphysics. Book Beta deals with fifteen aporia, or puzzles, that are associated with metaphysics, and for Aristotle, it is necessary to confront these puzzles in order to make any progress into investigations in metaphysics. The second aporia is concerned with whether or not it is the task of one single science, i.e. metaphysics, to investigate both the ultimate principles of being and the basic principles of logic, i.e. th...

In Book I of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, three types of lives that are generally observed to be conventional permutations of ways of living are presented as candidates for the good life. They are the life of pleasure, the political life, and the life of philosophical contemplation. The life of pleasure is immediately dismissed as a viable candidate because those that equate the good with pleasure lack the essential qualities that are required for the cultivation of a good and meaningful life. The political life, i.e. a life that is centered on action and doing good deeds for the benefit of other citizens is not so easily dismissed as a candidate for the good life due to the moral virtues that are practiced in such a life. In Book X Aristotle declares that it is indeed the life of philosophical contemplation that is the best candidate for achieving the good life. The greatest good and the goal of all action is to attain eudaimonia, i.e. happiness, or well-being, which is, according to Aristotle, not a state but an activity. Choosing a life dedicated to philosophical contemplation, however, in itself, does not necessarily assure the attainment of eudaimonia, which is a permanent possession of the soul. In addition to choosing the right kind of life to live, Aristotle argues, one's life must also be comprised of partaking in good, correct actions, which, throughout time, lead to the development of virtues. Aristotle states that there are two different kinds of virtues, moral virtues and intellectual virtues, which are, respectively, developed through practice and instruction, and are, in almost all circumstances, achieved by striving for what is moderate in things and situations. Additionally, the external goods, as in sufficient material possessions, and having a few good friends are also essential constituents of the good life. This paper will examine the components required for attaining the good life according to Aristotle's arguments in the Nicomachean Ethics, and will propose that an awareness of the teleological aspect of human nature is indeed necessary for the acquisition of eudaimonia.