encircled her tent, fans waiting to see her, but mainly other harpists scaling out the competition. After all, Comm. only came yearly, and it was the biggest music competition. After Gwilan had finished assembling her harp, she walked outside of the tent and was directly escorted by attendants through the crowd to the harp warm-up section. “Gwilan!” voices shouted. “Can we try your harp?” Gwilan turned to see eager beginning harpists enviously glaring at her harp. However, their attention was momentarily
certain function. Aristotle goes on to demonstrate this idea further on 1098a {10} where he talks about the harpists. There is the concept of a harpist, but significantly does this harpist function well, and perform their task's well. significantly, the harpist strives to be a good harpist so they can perform their function at a maximum capacity, rather poorly. In effect, given the good harpist is a form of action, so too is the humans function; the function of a human is activity of the soul in
people agree that good is happiness, however, opinions differ when people constitute happiness. He refers that a good is an individual that performs a task well. For example, he explains of a harpist and of a good harpist. He states “the function of the harpist is to play the harp, but that of the good harpist is to play it well.” (Book 1, vii, lines 24 and 25) Here he demonstrates that the good should be an activity in connection to virtue. Another aspect he talks about happiness is regarding an
CAPLET Andre Caplet was a man of many talents. He was a great French conductor, composer, pianist, and editor for many musician’s works including Claude Debussy. On his first attempt, in 1901, Caplet won the Prix de Rome for his piece “Myrrha.” This prestigious competition enabled the winner to stay in Rome for 3-5 years to study music; It often took many great composers several years to obtain. Caplet mainly made his career as a conductor though. He brought a very precise element to the French music
contained its own special tone and affected the audience members in a sincere passionate way. As the harpists played you could hear the synchronized movements of their hands and if you looked close enough you could visibly observe the same motions. Without a single doubt hard work and dedication had been put forth to make this recital just as special as any other performance, if not more. The harpist seemed very honorable and this was much appreciated by the audience. The musicians visually displayed
This example deems that killing the one healthy person is morally permissible because it saves five other people, and thus maximizes happiness. However, this judgment severely conflicts with deeply held moral beliefs that it is wrong to kill a healthy person and consequently, this creates a problem for act utilitarians. With regard to Kantianism, Kant believes that moral duty is based on reason. Every rational being must consider the decision procedure for moral reasoning to determine if their action
the example of the harpist, “the proper function of a harpist is to play the harp; the function of the harpist who has high standards is to play it well” (1098a 12-13). Aristotle explains the goal or end for the good harpist is attaining excellence in playing the harp through constant repetition and practice. Individuals who have the ability to reason can follow this example of the harpist and strive for excellence in activities that demonstrate virtue. Similar to the harpist who uses constant reinforcement
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he gives his audience an understanding of his understanding of what Virtue Ethics are to him, or what he believes them to be. He says that virtue ethics are designed to tell us, as humans, what we ought to do rather than telling us what we should do; and is concerned with the traits of character that makes one a good person. It is a positive, or optimistic, type of ethics. With this view, there are different aspects that followers of this theory believe: virtue
Perhaps now I need to introduce one of Aristotle’s suppositions: “living well and doing well are the same as being happy” (1.4.1095a19). But what does it mean to live well? A good example is that of the harpist. If the function of a harpist is to play the harp, then the function of a good harpist is to play the harp well (1.7.1098a9-12). It is this “superior achievement (of the function) that expresses virtue”(1.7.1098a10). When we apply this example to human beings it can be seen that the good
loss of a friend. In “Gwilan’s Harp” a young harpist named Gwilan has an irreplaceable flawless harp. Unfortunately the harp gets crushed, and Gwilan’s struggles with the loss of her most prized possession. In Isaac Singer’s “The Washwoman” the elderly washwoman tells the Jewish family which employed her, about the loss of her adult son, not by death, but by embarrassment of her profession. Lastly, in “The