Ethics Of The Hellenistic World Essay -- essays research papers fc

In comparing the honorable theories of the bosomys, Aristotle, and the Stoics its found that they be possessed of three separate ideas. These ideas be different in their individual beliefs stock-still attempt to accomplish the same goals of creating an inner peace and sense of wellhead being in their followers. Gener on the wholey these three disciplines had distinctly separate ideas on how to set roughly accomplishing these goals the Epicureans felt that the pursuit of pleasure was the correct cut to enlightenment, while the Stoics had the idea that the conformation to strict laws regarding virtue was the proper path, and as for Aristotle, he held the middle ground in this debate of the minds, feeling that relief was the key to complete ecstasy.Epicurus ethics was a form of egoistic hedonism, pith that the besides thing essentially precious is ones possess pleasure. Anything else that has value is valuable merely as a means to securing pleasure for oneself. Epicurus a ssociated this theory to a refined and individual view of the nature of pleasure, which lead him to recommend a virtuous, moderately frugal deportment as the best means to securing pleasure. His ethical theories find a foundation in the Aristotelian commonplace that the highest high-priced is what is valued for its own involvement, and not for the sake of anything else. Epicurus also agreed with Aristotle that happiness is the highest good. However, he disagreed with Aristotle by identifying happiness with pleasure. Epicurus gave two reasons for this. The main reason was that pleasure is the only thing that people do having value just for its own sake that is, Epicurus ethical hedonism is based upon his psychological hedonism. Everything we do, he claimed, we do for the sake of ultimately gaining pleasure for ourselves. This is supposedly confirmed by observing the evident behavior of infants, who instinctively pursue pleasure and shun pain. The truth in this is also found in th e behavior of adults, but in adults it is to a greater extent difficult to see that this truth, since they have much more complicated beliefs about what will bring them pleasure. This hedonism was widely denounced in the ancient world as undermining traditional morality. "The trouble with Epicureanism is its assumption that the self is a bundle of cancel appetites and passions, and that the end of life is their gratification. Experience shows that such a policy consi... ...le relates that the rock-loving exercise of virtuous function in a well-rounded life exploring personal interests and friendships is the cause of which happiness is the unavoidable and fitting effect. In separate words, if you pursue the cause you will create the effect, but if you pursue only the effect circumventing the cause, you will miss both effect and cause entirely. Aristotle rejects the Epicurean principle of pleasure because, though a proof that isolated tendencies are satisfied, it is no adequate criterion of the satisfaction of the self as a whole. He rejects the Stoic principle of conformity to law because it fails to recognize the supreme worth of individuality(Hyde, 175).Even after this comparison it is difficult to pull off which of these three theories would be a valid philosophy today. As they all have their seemingly strong points, there are still subjective weaknesses that would not hold up under the scrutiny of contemporary philosophers.BibliographyHardie, W.F.R. Aristotles Ethical Theory. Great Britain Oxford UP, 1968.Hyde, William. The Five Great Philosophies of Life. new(a) York Macmillan, 1945.Long, A.A. Hellenistic Philosophy. New York Scribners, 1974.