Which aspect of Aristotelian philosophy do you find most compelling?

banana peel October 31, 2021 at 09:08 1800 views 5 comments

I'd love if you guys could share which part of Aristotelian philosophy convinces you the most or which one you find it the hardest to argue against. It would be interesting to read the opinions not just of those that in general find Aristotelian philosophy convincing, but also of those who don't.

* By Aristotelian philosophy I mean both the philosophy of Aristotle and of those who generally are considered to subscribe to Aristotle's system.
** I'd be great if only the people who find something compelling with regards to this philosophy reply in this thread

Comments (5)

Metaphysician Undercover October 31, 2021 at 11:39 #614997 0 likes

Reply to banana peel
I find the so-called "cosmological argument" to be compelling and significant, as refuting both Platonic Realism and Materialism.

180 Proof October 31, 2021 at 11:58 #615001 0 likes

Reply to banana peel
Aristotle's eudaimonism (i.e. virtue ethics), (syllogistic) logic and hylomorphism (i.e. immanent realism) have been very influential to my thinking.

Deleted User October 31, 2021 at 18:19 #615122 0 likes

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Caldwell October 31, 2021 at 19:00 #615139 0 likes

Quoting banana peel

* By Aristotelian philosophy I mean both the philosophy of Aristotle and of those who generally are considered to subscribe to Aristotle's system.

I don't have a book reference -- I actually lost my collection of books, which I intend to replace once I get the time and motivation.

But the one thing that comes to mind is the essence of human being -- being rational is the essence of human being. So, Aristotle's essentialism is the one thing that's easily mentioned.

Quoting banana peel

which part of Aristotelian philosophy convinces you the most or which one you find it the hardest to argue against.

I believe there's essence in every entity -- what it is that necessarily belongs to an entity for its identity. The appleness of apple, for example.

Wayfarer November 01, 2021 at 08:18 #615478 0 likes

In the Aristotelian scheme, nous is the basic understanding or awareness that allows human beings to think rationally. For Aristotle, this was distinct from the processing of sensory perception, including the use of imagination and memory, which other animals can do. This therefore connects discussion of nous to discussion of how the human mind sets definitions in a consistent and communicable way, and whether people must be born with some innate potential to understand the same universal categories in the same logical ways. Deriving from this it was also sometimes argued, especially in classical and medieval philosophy, that the individual nous must require help of a spiritual and divine type (a.k.a ‘illumination’). By this type of account, it came to be argued that the human understanding (nous) somehow stems from this cosmic nous, which is however not just a recipient of order, but a creator of it.