A response to Aristotle's Politics, stating that all mankind is in the pursuit of some good.

Essay by amanda67University, Bachelor's January 2006

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Mankind's underlying lifestyle

"All associations are instituted for the purpose of attaining some good" (375). In agreement with Aristotle, I believe everything as we know it, is formed, is said, and is carried out, with some extent of good in mind. Another way of putting this would be that the ultimate end goal of human existence is happiness. By saying this, he has come to say that no body goes into any action that may be a malicious event just for doing an intentional evil, or badness. One might say that a person does a good deed, because he/she sees it as good, but if one does an evil deed, that they do not perform the evil deed as a way of being bad for the sake of being bad, but instead they see it as something good, which will eventually have a good outcome. I find Aristotle's view on this topic to be rather true and very accurate.

It is all a matter of perspective and judgment.

Furthering the discussion on partnerships and associations, Aristotle asserts that all such affiliations, like all deliberate human acts, are formed with the aim of achieving some good. The different kinds of associations that exist are founded on diverse relationships. The basic unit of association is the household, the next is the village, and the ultimate association is the city, toward which end humans, seeking to attain the highest quality of life.

Focusing on the household, Aristotle identifies the three kinds of relationships within: master-slave; husband-wife; and parent-child. Aristotle views slaves as the means by which the master secures his livelihood. He defends slavery by noting that nature generally consists of ruling and ruled elements: some people are slaves by nature, while others are masters by nature. It is thus unjust...