Combining Texts

Ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Politics' and 'On Divination ('De divinatione')'

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3 ideas

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 2. Logos
Human beings, alone of the animals, have logos [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: Human beings, alone of the animals, have logos.
     From: Aristotle (Politics [c.332 BCE], 1253a09)
     A reaction: This may be a grand claim that we are the only animals that can think rationally, or a more obvious observation that we are the only ones that talk. Aristotle was well aware that logos is a very resonant word.
2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 4. Aims of Reason
Reasoning distinguishes what is beneficial, and hence what is right [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: Logos is for the purpose of clarifying the beneficial and the harmful and as a result the right and the wrong.
     From: Aristotle (Politics [c.332 BCE], 1253a12)
     A reaction: I don't think this is asserting that reason can perceive values. Logos perceives the essential nature (and hence purpose) of each thing (including people), which indicates which are its good and bad states.
2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 7. Status of Reason
Intelligence which looks ahead is a natural master, while bodily strength is a natural slave [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: The element that can use its intelligence to look ahead is by nature ruler and master, while that which has the bodily strength to do the actual work is by nature a slave.
     From: Aristotle (Politics [c.332 BCE], 1252a30)
     A reaction: I claim that the two distinguishing features of humanity are prescience and meta-thought, so I can't really disagree with this.