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Natural Goals of Actions in Aristotle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2015

HENDRIK LORENZ
HENDRIK LORENZ*
Affiliation:
PRINCETON UNIVERSITYhlorenz@princeton.edu
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Abstract:

I argue that there are, according to Aristotle, two importantly different kinds of goals or ends in the domain of human agency and that one of these two kinds has been frequently, though not universally, overlooked. Apart from psychological goals, goals that agents adopt as their purposes, there are also, I submit, goals that actions have by being the kinds of actions they are and, in some cases, by occurring in the circumstances in which they do. These latter goals belong to suitable actions whether or not agents adopt them as purposes and whether or not agents are aware of them. There is evidence both in Aristotle's ethical writings and in his discussion of chance and luck in Physics II.4–6 that he recognizes goals of this latter kind.

Keywords

history of philosophyAristotleancient philosophygoalsteleologychanceethics
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of the American Philosophical Association , Volume 1 , Issue 4 , Winter 2015 , pp. 583 - 600
Copyright
Copyright © American Philosophical Association 2015 

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