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21 July 2009
Aristotelean Eudaimonia and Value Theory
In the following, I shall discuss the principles of Aristotle's ethical and political theory, paying close attention to what Aristotle meant by eudaimonia , and what he didnt'. Most of the following quotes are from the beginning of Book 1 of the Nicomachean Ethics ( as published on the web by... Read More...
20 June 2009
Brigands as Hunters of Men; Magistrates as Farmers
Hunting and livestock farming are both ways of coercively exploiting animals. The fundamental difference is that farming is stationary and involves the "breaking in" of the animal. Aristotle thought of brigands as basically hunters. Others support themselves by hunting, which is of different... Read More...
20 June 2009
Aristotle on the State as Association
Aristotle argued that the state is the form of society with the highest purpose: “Every state is an association of some kind, and every association is established with a view to some good; for mankind always act in order to obtain that which they think good. But, if all associations aim at some... Read More...
19 June 2009
Menger and Value-Free Universals
This post is part of a series exploring Principles of Economics by Carl Menger. The following explores content from chapter 3 . Previously in this series: Value Theory Before Menger To understand Menger's insight into value (and the Classical School's lack thereof), it would be useful to brush... Read More...
19 June 2009
Menger on Human Drives and Human Nature
This post is part of a series exploring Principles of Economics by Carl Menger. The following explores content from chapter 2 . Previously in this series: Menger on Time and Uncertainty NEEDS ARISE FROM OUR drives and the drives are imbedded in our nature. An imperfect satisfaction of needs leads to... Read More...
17 June 2009
The Worldview of the Physiologos
This post is one in a series on the History of Epistemological Thought . Previously in this series: The Worldview of the Theologos As I discussed previously , Aristotle distinguished between thinkers who were theologi and thinkers who were physiologi. I discussed the former in my previous post, and now... Read More...
07 June 2009
Hesiod and Aristotelean Demonstration
This post is one in a series on the History of Epistemological Thought . Previously in this series: The Epistemology of Divine Poetry . Even though Hesiod pleads "for the Muses told me so" as his chief intellectual justification, a careful reader can glean attempts at non-divine inference in... Read More...