Combining Texts

Ideas for 'The Sign of Four', 'Eudemian Ethics' and 'Consilience'

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2 ideas

15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 1. Faculties
Courage from spirit is natural and unconquerable, as seen in the young [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: The courage of spirit is the most natural kind; for spirit is unconquerable, which is why the young are the best fighters.
     From: Aristotle (Eudemian Ethics [c.333 BCE], 1229a27)
     A reaction: [thumos, presumably, as in Plato] I suppose Aristotle knows better than me, but I suspect the young are just the quickest and strongest. I'd rather be led by someone with experience than by someone who is young.
Whether the mind has parts is irrelevant, since it obviously has distinct capacities [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: It makes no difference if the soul is divided into parts or lacks parts, as it certainly has distinct capacities.
     From: Aristotle (Eudemian Ethics [c.333 BCE], 1219b32), quoted by Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski - Virtues of the Mind II 3.1
     A reaction: I take this to endorse my view that the mind-body problem is of limited interest to philosophers. The focus should be on what the mind does, not how it is constructed. But then I presume the latter issue is revealed by neuroscience.