Jan 1, 2010

A Preface to Morals | Characters

Aristotle
Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) was the third of the three great Greek philosophers whose ideas immeasurably influenced Western thought. Aristotle is one of the sages Lippmann regards as a source of ‘‘well-tested truths,’’ the wisdom of which may serve the function once filled by religious doctrine. He mentions Aristotle as one among many sages who have advocated asceticism as essential to happiness. Lippmann later quotes from Aristotle’s Ethics in relating the idea of virtue as a golden mean between extremes of any quality or characteristic in a person. He...