The Views of Confucius and Aristotle

Abstract

Confucius and Aristotle are respected philosophers who are known for their work. Both share similar philosophical views on virtue. They both said that virtue is a form of knowledge which leads to self examination and in turn leads to goodness. They also believe that if an individual is good, they can attract goodness towards themselves. In Confucius’ book The Analects; he discusses certain standards with his disciples that he thinks will provide guidance for ones daily lives. While in the philosophy of Aristotle, he aims to unify all knowledge. His original concept of causes forms a purpose with his insistence that truth must be preferred.

The Views of Confucius and Aristotle on Virtue

The word virtue can be defined in many ways, depending on who you ask. Confucius would say that virtue is based upon one’s harmony with others while Aristotle would say that virtue is composed of states of one’s character. Both of these renowned philosophers, may state things slightly different, but they both arrive at the same conclusion, virtue is a form of knowledge. And like any piece of knowledge, it is not the information itself that makes knowledge have value; it is what you do with it that makes it become valuable.

Aristotle categorizes virtue into two states; moral virtues and intellectual virtues. Moral virtues are those which have to deal with feelings; it also has to deal with acting and choosing well. , Aristotle also believed that intellectual virtues were those virtues acquired through teaching. On the other hand, Confucius felt that the power to change and achieve anything in life is in one’s own hand. He believed that if we are good, we will attract goodness towards us, and anything that is not virtuous will not approach us.

Confucius produced his own work to explain his views on many things including virtue. The analects of Confucius is a compilation of ethical moral principles that Confucius discusses with his disciples,...