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Aristotle 's Theory Of Aristotle

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Aristotle Exam
Similar to the teachings of his mentor, Plato, Aristotle’s philosophy finds its answers to major questions from the perspective of the teleological worldview. In the very first sentence of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle introduces his teleological world view by asserting that every activity is aimed at a telos, or end, and how men move from potency to act. Aristotle then proceeds to outline his argument using the Teleological approach as he tries to answer the question: “what is happiness?” However, he answers it not by explaining what happiness is, but rather how to attain it and live “the good life”.
Aristotle begins his argument by describing the first step on his road to attaining happiness, which involves man as he finds himself. At this stage, man is in a state of what Aristotle calls “potency”. In order to understand Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, one must first understand his definition of potency and how man progresses from potency to act. Potency embodies the potential of a thing, as in the case of an acorn; it has not yet grown at all, but it has the potential, or potency, to grow. Potency is also often referred to as capacity in Nicomachean Ethics. On the other hand, act is the end of the movement from potency. However, the act is dependent upon the directions that were taken in the process of moving from potency to act. For example, that same acorn when moved properly into act will grow into a healthy oak tree; however, it is just as

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