A Person as a Lifetime

An Aristotelian Account of Persons

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Humanism, Ancient
Cover of the book A Person as a Lifetime by Stephanie M. Semler, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stephanie M. Semler ISBN: 9780739198469
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: March 4, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Stephanie M. Semler
ISBN: 9780739198469
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: March 4, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

Is it possible to derive a viable definition of persons from Aristotle’s work? In A Person as a Lifetime: An Aristotelian Account of Persons, Stephanie M. Semler argues that we can. She finds the component parts of this definition in his writing on ethics and metaphysics, and the structure of this working definition is that of an entire lifetime. If J.O. Urmson is right that “[t]o call somebody a eudaimon is to judge his life as a whole,” then a Greek, and by extension an Aristotelian account of personhood would be a description of an entire human life. Likewise, the evaluation of that life would have to be done at its termination.

The concept of persons is at least as much a moral one as it is a metaphysical one. For this reason, Semler contends that an important insight about persons is to be found in Aristotle’s ethical works. The significance of judging one to be a eudaimon is in understanding that the life is complete—that is, it has a beginning, middle, and an end, with the same person at the helm for the duration. If we know what Aristotle’s requirements are for a human lifetime is to have all of these features, it follows that we can derive an Aristotelian concept of persons from it. We find the benefit of such an investigation when the difficulties with issues surrounding personal identity seem to indicate that either personal identity must inhere in the physical body of a person, or that, on pain of a view that resembles dualism, it simply doesn’t exist.

A Person as a Lifetime will be of particular interest to students and scholars of philosophy, history, classics, and psychology, and to anyone with an interest in Aristotle.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Is it possible to derive a viable definition of persons from Aristotle’s work? In A Person as a Lifetime: An Aristotelian Account of Persons, Stephanie M. Semler argues that we can. She finds the component parts of this definition in his writing on ethics and metaphysics, and the structure of this working definition is that of an entire lifetime. If J.O. Urmson is right that “[t]o call somebody a eudaimon is to judge his life as a whole,” then a Greek, and by extension an Aristotelian account of personhood would be a description of an entire human life. Likewise, the evaluation of that life would have to be done at its termination.

The concept of persons is at least as much a moral one as it is a metaphysical one. For this reason, Semler contends that an important insight about persons is to be found in Aristotle’s ethical works. The significance of judging one to be a eudaimon is in understanding that the life is complete—that is, it has a beginning, middle, and an end, with the same person at the helm for the duration. If we know what Aristotle’s requirements are for a human lifetime is to have all of these features, it follows that we can derive an Aristotelian concept of persons from it. We find the benefit of such an investigation when the difficulties with issues surrounding personal identity seem to indicate that either personal identity must inhere in the physical body of a person, or that, on pain of a view that resembles dualism, it simply doesn’t exist.

A Person as a Lifetime will be of particular interest to students and scholars of philosophy, history, classics, and psychology, and to anyone with an interest in Aristotle.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book On the Nature of Genocidal Intent by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Rustics and Politics by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Confronting Urban Legacy by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Gadamer and the Question of Understanding by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Soft Power by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book The New Barbarism and the Modern West by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Contemporary Women’s Writing in India by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Cold Peace by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Understanding and Supporting Law Enforcement Families by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Alexander Hamilton and the Origins of the Fed by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Khrushchev's Thaw and National Identity in Soviet Azerbaijan, 1954–1959 by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book The Rhetorical Surface of Democracy by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Communication Centers by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book Centrist Rhetoric by Stephanie M. Semler
Cover of the book The Letters and Diaries of Colonel John Hart Caughey, 1944–1945 by Stephanie M. Semler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy