It’s unfortunate that modern philosophers have devoted vast efforts to attacking the self-confident and optimistic views put forward by Aristotle (384-322 BC) on human nature and life’s purpose. John Vespasian explains that Aristotle conveyed his main premise in his works “Politics,” “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics,” namely, that it is the essence of human beings to be rational. In contrast to all animals, we can think, assess facts, develop theories, draw our own conclusions, and test them against reality. While animals have narrow choices, humans can determine which goals to pursue, how to allocate their energies and their other resources, how hard and how long to work. Humans are uniquely able to shape their lives and make their own luck. Aristotle identified happiness as the primary goal of human life and defined ethics as the science of achieving happiness. In Aristotelian philosophy, virtues are defined as habits that lead to happiness, not as social obligations. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/modern-attacks-against-aristotles-thoughts-on-human-nature/

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