Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle

A.W. Price

Examines human action within the context of the question of what makes a life good
Illuminates fundamental aspects of human life: reasoning, virtue, character, emotion
Insightful new interpretation of Plato and Aristotle
No expertise in ancient philosophy assumed

Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle

A.W. Price

Description

In this authoritative discussion of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, A. W. Price considers four related areas: eudaimonia, or living and acting well, as the ultimate end of action; virtues of character in relation to the emotions, and to one another; practical reasoning, especially from an end to ways or means; and acrasia, or action that is contrary to the agent's own judgement of what is best. The focal concept is that of eudaimonia, which both Plato and Aristotle view as an abstract goal that is valuable enough to motivate action. Virtue has a double role to play in making its achievement possible, both in proposing subordinate ends apt to the context, and in protecting the agent against temptations to discard them too easily. For both purposes, Price suggests that virtues need to form a unity--but one that can be conceived in various ways. Among the tasks of deliberation is to work out how, and whether, to pursue some putative end in context. Aristotle returns to early Plato in finding it problematic that one should consciously sacrifice acting well to some incidental attraction; Plato later finds this possible by postulating schism within the soul. Price maintains that it is their emphasis upon the centrality of action within human life that makes the reflections of these ancient philosophers perennially relevant.

Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle

A.W. Price

INTRODUCTION
PART A: EUDAIMONIA
A1. PLATO ON EUDAIMONIA
A2. ARISTOTLE ON EUDAIMONIA
PART B: VIRTUE
B1. PLATO ON VIRTUE
B2. ARISTOTLE ON VIRTUE
PART C: PRACTICAL REASONING
C1. PLATO ON PRACTICAL REASONING
C2. ARISTOTLE ON PRACTICAL REASONING
PART D: ACRASIA
D1. PLATO ON ACRASIA
D2. ARISTOTLE ON ACRASIA
REFERENCES
INDEX

Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle

A.W. Price

Author Information

A. W. Price was educated at Winchester and Oxford, and has taught chiefly at York and in London. He has maintained an interest both in current ethical theory, and in the moral psychology of Greek philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle. This is his fourth book.

Virtue and Reason in Plato and Aristotle

A.W. Price

Reviews and Awards

"[Price] offers a balanced and non-partisan account. He adduces an impressive array of textual material, offering clear analyses. His discussion is well structured, so that by the end the reader has a clear picture of this complex and multilayered subject. . . . All-in-all this is masterly work that embraces and assimilates an impressive amount of material in a clearly argued sequence, straightforward where the issues are less controversial, even-handed where their interpretation is ambiguous. It adds much to previous work on the subject, and is to be recommended for advanced students of Greek philosophy and of the moral philosophy in general." --Barrie Fleet, Classics for All Reviews

"Virtue and Reason is a treasure trove of enlightening commentary, insightful arguments, and a keen view of the most important and perennial aspects of Plato's and Aristotle's genius."--Dimitrios Dentsoras, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews