Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Commentary on 'De Anima'', 'works' and 'Rationality and Virtue'

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6 ideas

20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / a. Practical reason
22480 Possessing the virtue of justice disposes a person to good practical rationality [Foot]
     Full Idea: If justice is a virtue it must make action good by disposing its possessor to goodness in practical rationality; the latter consisting of the right recognition of reasons, and corresponding action.
     From: Philippa Foot (Rationality and Virtue [1994], p.174)
     A reaction: This somewhat inverts Aristotle, who says the possessing of good practical reason is the key to acquiring the virtues. Foot suggests that possessing the virtue promotes the practical rationality. Someone can be sensible without being virtuous.
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 4. Art as Expression
8120 Objects can be beautiful which express nothing at all, such as the rainbow [Herbart, by Tolstoy]
     Full Idea: Objects are often beautiful which express nothing at all, as, for instance, the rainbow, which is beautiful for its lines and colours and not for its mythological connexion with Iris, or Noah's rainbow.
     From: report of Johann Herbart (works [1830]) by Leo Tolstoy - What is Art? Ch.3
     A reaction: A nice counterexample to Tolstoy's own theory. The example is one of a natural beauty, but it would be harder to find examples in human art. How much the artist may feel, though, has little to do with the success of a work of art.
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / h. Expressivism
22477 Calling a knife or farmer or speech or root good does not involve attitudes or feelings [Foot]
     Full Idea: No one thinks that calling a knife a good knife, a farmer a good farmer, a speech a good speech, a root a good root, necessarily expresses or even involves an attitude or feeling towards it.
     From: Philippa Foot (Rationality and Virtue [1994], p.163)
     A reaction: This is the Aristotelian idea (which I favour) that good derives from function. In such a case it seems obvious that it has nothing to do with expressing emotions.
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / e. Death
16764 The soul conserves the body, as we see by its dissolution when the soul leaves [Toletus]
     Full Idea: Every accident of a living thing, as well as all its organs and temperaments and its dispositions are conserved by the soul. We see this from experience, since when that soul recedes, all these dissolve and become corrupted.
     From: Franciscus Toletus (Commentary on 'De Anima' [1572], II.1.1), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 24.5
     A reaction: A nice example of observing a phenemonon, but not being able to observe the dependence relation the right way round. Compare Descartes in Idea 16763.
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / b. Basis of virtue
22478 The essential thing is the 'needs' of plants and animals, and their operative parts [Foot]
     Full Idea: The key notion is the concept of need, …as when we say what a plant or animal of a certain species needs to have, …and what its operative features, such roots, leaves, hearts and lungs, need to do.
     From: Philippa Foot (Rationality and Virtue [1994], p.164)
     A reaction: Good. That takes it away from the idea of a function, which could be possessed by an inanimate machine (even though that still entails success and failure). Strictly, we need oxygen, but the goodness resides in the lungs.
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / c. Justice
22479 Observing justice is necessary to humans, like hunting to wolves or dancing to bees [Foot]
     Full Idea: The teaching and observing of the rules of justice is as necessary a part of the life of human beings as hunting together in packs with a leader is a necessary part of the lives of wolves, or dancing part of the life of the dancing bee.
     From: Philippa Foot (Rationality and Virtue [1994], p.168)
     A reaction: So why are some men unjust? All wolves hunt, and all appropriate bees dance. A few men even thrive on injustice.