Details

Subject(s)

• Aristotle—Nicomachean ethics [Browse]
• Aristotle—Politics [Browse]
• Plato—Republic [Browse]
• Contemplation in literature [Browse]
• Happiness in literature [Browse]
• Citizenship in literature [Browse]

Library of Congress genre(s)

• Literary criticism [Browse]

Series

• Cambridge elements. Elements in ancient philosophy [More in this series]
• Elements in ancient philosophy

Summary note

"This Element concerns the civic value of contemplation in Plato and Aristotle: how does intellectual contemplation contribute to the happiness of the ideal state? The texts discussed include the Republic, the Nicomachean Ethics and the Politics, works in which contemplation is viewed from a political angle. The Element concludes that in the Republic contemplation has purely instrumental value, whereas in the Politics and Nicomachean Ethics it has purely intrinsic value. To do justice to the complexity of the issues involved, the author addresses a broader question about the nature of civic happiness: whether it is merely the aggregate of individual happiness or an organic quality that arises from the structure of the state. Answering this question has implications for how contemplation contributes to civic happiness. The Element also discusses how many citizens Plato and Aristotle expected to be engaged in contemplation in the ideal state"-- Provided by publisher.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN

• 9781009539326 (hardcover)
• 1009539329 (hardcover)
• 9781009372596 (paperback)
• 1009372599 (paperback)

LCCN

2024028737

OCLC

1451104509

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