Aristotle And Montesquieu 's Views On Virtue

In the Meno, Socrates and Meno discuss the nature of virtue, the process of acquiring knowledge, and also the concept of the teachability of virtue. Throughout the text, Meno suggests many varying definitions for virtue, all of which Socrates is able to dismantle. The point is also raised that it may be impossible to know about something that was not previously understood, because the searcher would have no idea what to be looking for. To dispute this, Socrates makes a point that all knowledge is innate, and the process of “learning” is really just recollecting knowledge that is buried deeply within the human mind. The issue of the teachability of virtue is an important theme in this dialogue because it raises points about whether virtue is knowledge, which then leads to the issue of knowledge in general.

2. Aristotle felt the government should cultivate virtue while Madison felt freely pursuing self-interest within reasonable limits was a better solution to improve our nature

This case is made even more explicitly in The Spirit of the Laws. In Book III, for instance, Montesquieu ascribes a fundamental principle to each of the three types of government he outlines. But while Montesquieu names “virtue” as the principle of a republican government and “honor” as the principle of a monarchical government, the despotic system is given the fundamental principle of “fear” (Spirit of the Laws bk. III, ch. 9, par. 1), easily the least noble of the three.

Originally, men such as Harrington and Montesquieu focused heavily on the laws of nature and true liberty. They sought to ensure that a stable government could truly represent the varied interests of a society.

In particular, Chapter XVI, Montesquieu tell us that, “IT is natural for a republic to have only a small territory; otherwise it cannot long subsist. In an extensive republic there are men of large fortunes… has interests of his own; he soon begins to think that he may be happy and glorious by oppressing his fellow-citizens; and that he may raise himself to grandeur on the ruins of his country” (Classics, p.116). Virtue is what drives republics in Montesquieu’s mind, but ambition he says is what causes republics to fail. In large republic, the ambition of a few wealthy individuals could derail the whole republic and could ultimately turn the republic to an oppressive, tyrannical government. A smaller republic he sees safeguards against that because, virtue creates a sense of closeness between people, and everyone sees each the community as an extension of oneself. Therefore, there would be less of a chance of abuse by the wealthy few. Montesquieu though does not just stop there when critiquing republics. He goes on later in his essays and provides some criticisms of small

He stated that people were basically good and that society, and it the unequal distribution of wealth, were causing most of the problems. Baron de Montesquieu, one of his most influential book expanded more of John Locke’s study. Montesquieu believed the best government should divide itself to its power, creating a Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branch (separation of power). He

Baron de Montesquieu was the most influential Enlightenment Thinker because of his ideas on governmental structure, and efficiency. His views on this greatly benefitted modern day governments. Charles Louis de Secondat, (Later titled Baron de Montesquieu) was a French lawyer, and a Political Philosopher. He was an enlightenment thinker, who was greatly interested in politics, and had many strong ideas on how the government should be composed, constructed, and used. He, along with Simon Bolivar, had great influences on the Governments of the U.S.A

Montesquieu was a French Philosopher, and he believed that all things were made up of rules or laws that never changed. He said there are three types of government a monarchy (ruled by a king or queen), republic (ruled by an elected leader) and a despotism (ruled

He decided not to be to be ignorant by following what the king said so he looked at the government as a scientist would. Montesquieu believed that everything was made up of laws that would never change. He claimed that there was three types of government: a monarchy, a republic, and a despotism. Montesquieu believed that the best form of government is the one that has the people’s consent and is chosen by them. He, as well as Plato, did not believe a democracy would succeed because he claimed that a balance of power had to be held.

While all the Enlightenment thinkers may have played a part in the formation of america, Montesquieu’s ideals and beliefs seemed to be the most influential

In our society today, we are mostly challenged by two questions: ‘is it right to do this or that? And ‘how should I be living in society?’(Bessant, 2009). Similar questions were greatly discussed in the history by our ancestors in their philosophical discussions. The most ancient and long-lasting literature on moral principles and ethics were described by Greek philosopher Aristotle. He had an excellent command on various subjects ranging from sciences to mathematics and philosophy. He was also a student of a famous philosopher. His most important study on ethics, personal morality and virtues is ‘The Nicomachean Ethics’, which has been greatly influencing works of literature in ethics and heavily read for centuries, is believed to be

If I had the chance to build a government I would build it on Montesquieu's beliefs. On the other hand, I don’t relate to everything he believed. Montesquieu believed that government should be separated into three different powers. An example of this is the government in England government during this time (Montesquieu lived through 1689-1755) there was a king, Parliament, and there were judges in the English court. The Parliament made the laws, the king enforced them and then the judges would interpret the laws. Montesquieu thought that if you separated the government's power like this then none of the branches could take away freedom from the people. He created a book called The Spirit of Laws. This book became a huge influence for many

In the beginning of his essay on the “Spirit of the Laws” Montesquieu focuses on the natural impulses of man. After creating his baseline for how humans behave and interact, Montesquieu continues his essay by analyzing governments formed by humans. When you look closely at the text, Montesquieu’s connections between man’s behavior and his political philosophy become evident and crucial to understanding his argument. Montesquieu’s analysis of man can help us determine the roots of corruption and despotism, which fortifies the need for a system of checks and balances in a successful government.

In Book II of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the idea of moral virtue. Aristotle emphasized the importance of developing moral virtue as the way to achieve what is finally more important, human flourishing (eudaimonia). Aristotle makes the argument in Book II that moral virtue arises from habit—equating ethical character to a skill that is acquired through practice, such as learning a musical instrument. However in Book III, Aristotle argues that a person 's moral virtue is voluntary, as it results from many individual actions which are under his own control. Thus, Aristotle confronts us with an inherently problematic account of moral virtue.

Socrates’ sense of virtue, as established in Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Crito, and Symposium collectively, revolves around the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and justice, all in an effort to benefit the soul rather than the physical body. Given that this oftentimes contradicts standard values of honor and beauty, Socrates is targeted by many of those around him who oppose his ideas and ways of thinking, especially since the youth begin to criticize the elders’ concern for the trappings of honor and beauty rather than for interior virtues. Unlike Socrates’ case, Aeneas’ sense of virtue complies with the standard societal definition, emphasizing pietas, or respect for the gods and dedication to family and community. In his efforts to