Through such logic, she presented her belief that moral laws cannot exist if God does not exist. ... Hence, what Anscombe believed in was a return to the ideals of Eudamonia and a morality that is focused on the person rather than on the consequence of actions. By emphasizing Eudamonia, morality does not need to depend on strict moral principles, which she felt gave too much emphasis to autonomous actions and disregarded the social aspect of morality that may give rise to the 'polis', for example virtues cultivated through active citizenship. ... Suppose a lawyer was contemplating...

• Word Count: 879
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Each circle condemns some sort of excessive or deficient act, the very same structure of morality we find in Aristotle's Doctrine of the Mean. Indeed, it seems Aristotelian morality is the very source out of which conceptions of sin in the Inferno are constructed. ... This aligns closely to Dante's second circle (for those condemned for lust), where Semiramis resides, for she was "so broken to the vice of lust that in her laws she made licit whatever pleased, to lift from herself the blame she had incurred " (Canto V, 55). This epitomizes Dante's condemnation of those who capitu...

• Word Count: 2364
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Machiavelli adopts a more practical perspective not on the moral capability of men, but on the role morality will actually play in daily life. ... Although Aristotle recognizes that political societies and statesmen may face threats from foreign and domestic forces, his political societies are founded on a group of citizen's mutual understanding of justice, therefore while others may impose a threat to political life, the foundation of government resides in the laws and the public conception of justice. ... He tells us that the founders of society are armed prophets that enforce law and o...

• Word Count: 1841
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

While Classical Philosophy tangles with many questions, one could surmise from the readings that the universal goal of most (classical) philosophers was to answer the question "what is the best life?" A logical presumption would be that nearly all human beings aspire to live the best possible life, ...

• Word Count: 2653
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate