Event Detail

Thu Dec 4, 2008
4:10–6 PM
Philosophy Colloquium
Joe Karbowski (UC Berkeley)
Reputable Beliefs (Endoxa) in the Nicomachean Ethics

This talk discusses some important ways in which Aristotle employs endoxa (beliefs held by reputable sources) in his inquiry into the human good in the Nicomachean Ethics. I argue for two claims: 1) Aristotle does not use endoxa as the data for the inquiry; 2) He examines endoxa in order to clarify and make salient other claims that do count as the data for the inquiry. These claims are important, because they inform us about the method that he employs in that inquiry, and they also have implications for how practical and theoretical subject matters exhibit differences in precision.