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Aristotle the doctrine of the golden mean pdf
Aristotle the doctrine of the golden mean pdf
Aristotle the doctrine of the golden mean pdf
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William Weathersbee
Global History
Madigan Fichter
3/30/2016
The Golden Mean
This book “The Golden Mean”, written by Annabel Lyon is about Aristotle, a genius philosopher who touched the mind of a boy, Alexander The Great, who would eventually conquer the known world. A man of knowledge and wisdom must try to connect with one that only knows of violence and warfare, a challenge he took out of optimism.
Aristotle, was ordered by his childhood friend, King Philip of Macedon, to tutor the his teenage sons. One son suffered from a illness and had the intellect of a child; the other son was destined to change the world but is overwhelmed with the attainment of knowledge and the demand of his skill as a warrior. Also, Aristotle had to put his
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dream on hold, “succeeding Plato as leader of the Academy in Athens in order to teach the King Philip’s sons”. Aristotle didn’t plan on staying in Athens for long, but as a man of curiosity Aristotle takes on the challenge of teaching his pupils. Aristotle took a liking to Alexander in particular because he had a questioning mind and he knows Alexander was destined for something great. I thought this novel sounded interesting at first because I thought a story told about powerful historical figures would be exciting to read about. However, after reading this book I felt it wasn’t really focused on the history of the characters. The novel put a great deal of emphasis on the relationships between the main characters. For example, it focused on the relationships of Alexander and Aristotle, as well as Alexander and his Father Philip or his mother Olympias. I would have preferred the book to focus more on the historical context than the relationships between characters. The main characters of the novel is Aristotle and Alexander. Aristotle a great philosopher from Athens who postponed succeeding Plato as leader of the academy in Athens in order to tutor the King’s sons. Alexander is the son of KIng Philip of Macedonian. The role that two play in book is that they both represent two different worlds. Alexander he was raised on warfare and possess great skills as a warrior, while Aristotle was one who thought the intellect was more important than brawn. Since the characters are from two completely backgrounds they change each other’s views. They are in a way similar to though because they both are looking for answers for their questions. One of the more important major themes at work in this book is the idea of extremes. You see this idea over and over in the book. For example, Alexander he was ambitious and intelligent. Then there's his half-brother Arrhidaeus,Brain damaged and hamper. This is obviously a example because they’re characters is vastly different for a reason. Also Alexander seeks power and will someday have the power to expand the macedonian empire.Then at one point he asks Aristotle at one point in the novel,”to make the unknown known, isn’t that the greatest virtue, the greatest happiness?”. He has all the power to take over other kingdoms but it didn’t bring him peace at mind,so he wanted knowledge to solve his problem. Another example is Aristotle,he is searching for the means between extremes. He finds a state of divinity in the natural world and science.In a passage Aristotle talks about how he struggles with swings from “black melancholy to golden joy”. This shows that he could be in a state of madness then he could enter a state of joy,which is another example of extremes being portrayed. Another theme in the book is balance.There are many instances in the book that one will see this theme being portrayed. For example Aristotle and Alexander are from like two different worlds one is warrior and the other is a scholar.They symbolize brain and brawn. Also Aristotle felt like Alexander needed knowledge in order to balance out the power and strength he had. For example on page 188,Aristotle says to Alexander” you must look for the mean between extremes,the point of balance. The point will differ from man to man. There is not a universal standard of virtue to cover all situations at times.Context must be taken into account,specificity, what is best at a particular place and time”. This quote clearly shows that Aristotle is trying to tell Alexander that he needs to find balance in his life. I didn’t really like the book after I read it. I didn’t really like it because I had high expectations and it didn’t really deliver. I was expecting it to focus more on the history of that era and events that were happening. Also I would had liked if it gave us a first person point of view of the action but the book was told by Aristotle point of view instead of Alexander.I felt if the book was told from Alexander point of view when he was conquering other nations that this book would be way more entertaining. I just don’t find it fascinated with the relationships between characters when there’s so much bigger events going on in the history that changed the world.
Even though I didn’t really like the book I think it did definitely help me think differently about that era of history. It did because it gave us insight about historical figures and they’re personal life. For example many didn’t know Alexander had a brain-damaged brother or that Aristotle tutored Alexander for a brief time. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is interested in Alexander and Aristotle. This book definitely teaches readers some background info about them that most people wouldn’t know.
Clearly after reading my essay you can surely see that “The Golden Mean” main themes were extremes and finding a state of balance. Aristotle told Alexander about this and it is also shown when you look at the character personalities in this novel. This book wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be but it definitely had some info I didn’t know about the historic figure that I’m glad I learned. Even though it wasn’t what I wanted to read it was still worth
reading! Work Cited "The Golden Mean." Goodreads. N.p., 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. "Book Review - The Golden Mean." Americans for a Free Republic. N.p., 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
I found this book to be a rather interesting read. I enjoyed how Levathes researched this book and wrote it to try to explain about this specific period of time and how it is very non-fiction.
I enjoyed the book and I tought it was easy to read and understand. The constant adversities Andreas faced keep me craving more, from the prison scene to him being kidnapped left me wondering what would happen for the next chapter. I also enjoyed learning about the Jewish culture and traditions that the book mentioned, and having a new take on arguments regarding the practice of the Sabbath or how Jesus’s teachings could have sounded to a Gentile back in the day. Overall a fun and interesting book to read and challenged by views on the humanity of Jesus.
What impressed me most about the book was the incredible detail he used to describe people, places, events, and things. As I said, some people may find all this detail to be tedious. I however think that it was important to have such details to paint an accurate picture of ancient Rome.
My overall opinion of this book is good I really liked it and recommend it to anyone. It is a good book to read and it keep you interested throughout the whole book.
The story behind the greek myth of King Midas explains the story of his greed compared to today’s world. There’s many components that connect the reality of the real world to the motion of the greek itself. A lesson is learned from his mythology through his greed and foolishness, his judging, and his overall state of being.
...y. He touched parts of the slaves' lives and what they really went through, but I don't think we even have a true idea of what it would have been in their shoes. The author presented the information in a very solid way and sectioned out very well. I understood what he was trying to explain easily. It was somewhat a long book but very much full of knowledge and history that in spirit is still alive today. We may not have slavery like it was then, but we still deal with racism and prejudices daily. The world changed because of slavery and is the way it is because of the history of America. We cannot change the past but we can change the future. Thank God the world is not the way it was. I cannot imagine what painful lives the slaves had to endure. But we can become knowledgeable about the history of slavery and America and learn from it in many different ways.
The. The "Aristotle". Home Page English 112 VCCS Litonline. Web. The Web.
Diving right into the Maeren of Aristotle and Phyllis, the reader is given a basic back story and introduced to the main characters. Aristotle is Alexander’s teacher who was hired by his father to instill great influence and knowledge within the young boy. As it so happens Alexander falls in love with a young maiden and loses focus on his school work. The well praised Aristotle outraged with the occurrence heads to the king to discuss the matters and has that relationship forbidden. Aristotle, the grand philosopher was highly disappointed with the lack of self-control that young Alexander has shown. Considering he is known for his enlightenment and intellect what Alexander had taken part in is much below the standards set by his instructor.
Alexander the Great, also known as the King of Macedonia, was the son of Phillip II of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of a neighboring city. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, he was born on July 21, 356 BCE in Pella, Macedonia. Even at a very young age, Alexander exhibited the qualities and characteristics of a leader. He was able to tame a horse named Bucephalus that no other man before him could tame. This horse later became the horse that Alexander rode throughout all of his battles and victories. A relative by the name of Leonidas was responsible for teaching Alexander to fight and ride. He was also tutored by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher. This got Alexander interested in science, medicine, and philosophy (HistoryofMacedonia.org). Alexander also paid great attention to his father and his ideas and took from this so that he could implement them when he would have a chance to rule.
King Midas and the Golden Touch, is one of the most famous myths in western lore. It details the story of one man’s greed and lust for wealth leading to his ultimate downfall. Initially written by Ovid, in his Metamorphoses published in 8 A.D, it has been adapted and analyzed even in modern times. Written in Dactylic Hexameter, as customary of great mythological works of the time period, the poem effectively served as a part of a guide to life for the ancient Romans. The morals the story teaches are still applicable in this day and age. As the story is intertwined with the rest of the epic, it is important to evaluate the myth in an educated and modified light. In King Midas and the Golden Touch, Ovid deftly illustrates the importance of restraint by detailing King Midas’ suffering from his greed.
Richardson, Nicholas. The Iliad : A Commentary. Vol. VI: books 21-24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993.
In 342, Aristotle returned to Macedonia and became the tutor to a very young Alexander the Great. He did this for the next five to seven years. Both Philip and Alexander appear to have paid Aristotle high honor. There are stories that indicate the Macedonian court supplied Aristotle with funds for teaching, and with slaves to collect specimens for his studie...
In the early life of Aristotle in Ancient Macedonia, he lived with his father Nicomachus who was a physician to Amyntas II who was the King of Macedonia and the Grandfather to Alexander the Great. Aristotles father died around 367 B.C.E and not long after is when he traveled to Athens to attend the Academy, Plato’s school and the first modern university. The Academy, and Athens itself, was regarded as the academic center of the universe where scholars traveled for a
In 343 King Philip of Macedon asked Aristotle to tutor his son Alex. Aristotle was able to make Alex respect knowledge and science. Alex used the knowledge he learned and became one of the most powerful leaders still today. He commanded armies that imperialized a vast majority of land. In 340 King Phillip realized he was slowly losing control over the city of Stagira.
Aristotle was born in 384 B.C.E and lived until 322 B.C.E. His father was a court physician for the Macedonian Court, which greatly influenced his life. His father passed when he was still a boy and he was sent to study under Plato at the Academy at the ripe age