Modernizing Aristotle's Ethics

Over 2,300 years ago, the Ancient Greeks gave us philosophy-the love of wisdom. From Socrates and Epicurus to Plato and Aristotle, they grappled with the big questions-who are we? Why are we here? What is a good life? How should we lead our life?Later, the natural sciences split away from philosophy, and then the humanities did as well, and fragmented into separate disciplines, all of which tell us something about human nature-the universal, the culture-specific, and the individuated. In the light of all that that the new sciences tell us about human nature, is there a case for modernizing Aristotle as against starting afresh? We think so.The theme of this book is to arrive at a highly practical, "neo-Aristotelian" framework to facilitate human self-actualization (and thereby flourishing and happiness) by linking ethics (as an "ought") with the empirical sciences (that provide the "is"). A modernized ethic can be created using current scientific knowledge, and is also made easier in application, by specifying the psychological nature of the human (the internal, or the ontology of the modern human), and delineating that which is universal, from that which can be individuated.

Roger E. Bissell is a professional musician, writer, and editor. He is a research associate with the Molinari Institute and Associate Editor of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. He is based in Dickson, Tennessee, United States. Vinay Kolhatkar is a freelance journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and a former finance professional. He is the founder and Chief Editor of The Savvy Street, a public intellectual e-zine. He is based in Sans Souci, New South Wales, Australia.