Ethics

Aristotle sought to confer an explanation of what an excellent life should enclose. He depicts his work on ethics and relationships as being diverse from his other work since it narrows down to how human beings can become better people rather than just mull over on the expectations of the society which are more theoretical than practical. He bickers that the loom to study divisive subject like ethics is to commence with what is generally agreed by all people and then create more understanding on it as you introduce more controversial stuff. Taking this approach he goes ahead to discuss civic ethics such as happiness, justice, friendship, deliberation and civic virtues.

As Aristotle critically scrutinized many attitudes in his discussion on happiness, he portrayed it as one of the most celestial things that every human being should possess. Happiness is not based on a feeling of contentment but involvement in an activity.  The governing aspect of happiness is directly related to the designation it carries. Most happy people who are in harmony with virtue bears adversity fully with absolute concord for they know despite having gone through privation there is always a way out.  Happiness is among the things that are highly honored and praised. Though happiness is a virtue, Aristotle draws a discrepancy between virtue and happiness and asserts that virtue which among people is praise worthy is an act of executing good actions while happiness is more than that and as essential as god since every action that man does is as an end result to happiness. Happiness generally rests within a self sufficient and absolute final. The reasoning ground is that every action that man decides to do is for a specific goal.

Aristotle deems that for a person to be happy then he must purpose to live a virtuous active life for this will bring him closer to his or her goal in life which is the end. Though this is the case according to Aristotle many people have opposed it claiming that there is nothing like one coming to a final end. They argue that everybody will always want more depending on their status quo and there is no time they will ever be satisfied. On this notion Aristotle asserts that in a case where a wealthy person needs more, wealth in itself without virtues can never be a source of happiness. To sum up Aristotles idea of happiness ,We can say that happiness is the final good one can ever achieve in life and when all is said and done every man is striving to achieve one thing and that is happiness.

In the work place when goals are combined with works then the end result is happiness. Aristotle on his argument on friendship, he asserts that friends are our second selves and without them life is not worth living. Love should be mutual and of good will and do not have to be necessarily reciprocated.  Just as good conduct advances someone, friends can improve each other. He goes ahead to articulate that the triumph or failure of an ally is like ones victory or crash. Friendships can be divided into three categories. Friendships can be of good, utility and pleasure. Friendships of utility and pleasure are inferior to that of good because of their drive. They do not identify people as they are but what they have and can offer. Utility friendships are dealings formed with no regard to the other person. For example a relationship between the consumer and the supplier or an employee and an employer is based on bestow and clutch scenario. In the current society these people are not called friends but acquaintances since their affiliation is shallow and there is a likelihood of not remembering each other afterwards unless another motivation is created.

Pleasure friendships are based on enchantment in the band of other people. People who share something common like a hobby or they drink together are classified in this group by Aristotle. There is no future in such friendship as the activity they share might end up receding or they may part and if this happens, so is the friendship. Good friendships are based on character. Both friends enjoy each others personality. The motive behind the relationship is genuine and as long as they continue sharing analogous characters there is a likelihood of the relationship enduring for a long time. Today this can be termed as true friendship.  According to Aristotle this is the most dignified and important relationship.

Genuine friendships must be based on goodness and not utility or pleasure. Aristotle affirms that though most people are anxious to be loved than to love, friendship lies in the active loving and not being loved in return. Friendship should not be baffled with goodwill. One may have good will but that does not mean he or she is a friend. The flawed friendships that Aristotle spotlights on are not lopsided relationships on the ground of good characters. They have been widely accepted as defective since they hardly satisfy. Aristotle in his discussion he asserts a genuine friend is someone who loves or likes another person for the sake of that other person. It is essential that friends wish and abide good amongst themselves.

Aristotle noted that in ethics, just like friendship is a paramount issue of good life justice is equally an imperative aspect. He explores both friendship and justice as ways of maintaining social and political foundation. To uphold order among men justice must reign. He articulated that apposite deemed justice should contain fairness and impartiality of interpersonal associations. He also noted that justice when it comes to swap of property entails vigilant clarity of its definition in order to promote equity among people concerned.

He believed that law should grant synchronization and justice in the state and used in the moral aspect. He noted that in most cities, laws were meant to incriminate people and not to protect citizens as law is just a system and justice is the ultimate goal. The question of whether or not justice will ever be practiced is one that is controversial and rigid to respond as human beings are evolving and laws have also continued to take a different angle. Aristotle also wrote that no one had the right to call a person just if he or she did not enjoy generous actions.

Civic virtue is another aspect that Aristotle has discussed in length. He defined it as an expected standard of behavior in a given society. It can be practiced through attending meetings, doing volunteer work, voting among others. Aristotle recommends that humans should take gratification in virtue .Moral and civic virtue is the way to happiness. Before human decide to better the community it is logic they first know about the virtues. He maintains that people who have been brought up well are easier to teach about the virtues as civic and moral virtues must start from home.

Civic virtues and political good are all ordained by God as he is the author of all goodness. Civic virtues goes a long way to assist people fathom their relationships to the society and what is expected of them as far as responsibility is concerned. A civilized citizen who seizes civic virtues is seen as a public good to the community in which he or she comes from. Without proper understanding of civic virtues people tend to look beyond their friends, interests and families. They rarely care to help in the progress of the community, volunteer or to even participate in a group that is beneficial to humanity. He acknowledges the facts that living a virtuous life can prove difficult but its worth trying. There are two aspects of virtue and that is the virtue of thought and character.

Virtue of thought is as a result of learning thus needs time and character while virtue of character results from a continuous habit. The ultimate issue arising in relation to excellence in logic and practical reasoning is the comportment in which it takes place. The choices that human beings make are based on deliberation. According to Aristotle deliberation is the determinant of the end result. It is not based on just recognizing the dignified ends but also identifying the best way to accomplish the ends.

When we compare Aristotles theories and the Great Place to Work Institute which since 1980 has made employees and employers their basic priority we see that they both advocate for trust between the relations. Aristotle asserts that for a healthy relationship to survive there must be trust between the parties whether in the work places or in other arena of life. Great place to work institute maintains that the management and the employees should have apparent understanding in order to make sure that there is a smooth running in the work place. They also do research work to get background information to create a better foundation for something more beneficial to work in future. This in relation to Aristotles idea of virtues we see that one aspect of virtue must be studied before it becomes effective.

One discrepancy between the two is that in Great Place to Work there is manifestation of trust in every relationship thus leading to positive interactions to bring constructive impact. Aristotle on the other hand based friendships in three categories whereby it is only in the good friendship that trust could be revealed as there is an element of care.

Great work place has done justice which is termed by Aristotle as fairness and granting equity to people who deserve. In relation to this is that employees are awarded more when they work for long hours thus portraying fairness.  The institute is responsible for publishing the best work companies with a principal notion that applauding and highlighting best practice, this will lead to other work places competing for the same. There is coherence in relation to the definition by Aristotle on civic virtue on the expected standard conduct in a certain place. In the work place there is the expectation of others who are in a higher position. The awarding of the best principals in a given locale is a public good that gives morale to the recognized parties hence resulting to happiness.

In a society where there is  thirst to learn more and know how to acquire virtues and practice them then that community is liable to have better prospects and focused citizens who will bring an enhanced generation. Every virtue be it truth or happiness is crucial in our lives and there is none that overrides the other. Our major hope is through truth, knowledge and values that matters. It is lucid that societies with no morals stand no chance to advance.