On the Relationship between Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Politics

June 19, 2015
Amsterdam University College

Amsterdam
Netherlands

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Expert meeting:
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARISTOTLE’S NICOMACHEAN ETHICS AND POLITICS
Amsterdam University College, Science Park 113, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Friday June 19th, 2015

In modern times, ethics and politics signify two distinct areas that are usually studied in separation of one another. Aristotle, however, grouped both areas together as part of the practical sciences that are concerned with good action. Furthermore, Aristotle explicitly connects the study of ethics and politics both in the beginning and final sections of the Nicomachean Ethics, where he argues that political science is a master science that uses the rest of the sciences in order to promote the human good and that the “true politician is thought to have put most of his effort into studying virtue” (NE I.13). In other words, the study of ethics seems to be of principal importance to both political scientists and
politicians.

And yet, even though the connections between ethics and politics are abundant, Aristotle wrote two separate treatises on the topics and it seems to be a mistake to conflate the realm of politics with the realm of ethics. The Nicomachean Ethics is a treatise dealing with human happiness, virtue, pleasure, and friendship and seems to postulate the contemplative life as superior to the active, political life. The Politics offers a classification of different political orderings – the best ones, the most practical ones, and the most prevalent ones – and even though the best regimes and laws are aimed at the development of virtue, Aristotle oftentimes appears to operate with the understanding that politics is concerned with power, ambition and self-interest instead of noble public action. This raises the questions of how, for Aristotle, ethics and politics are related? (Why) should the Nicomachean Ethics and the Politics should be read together?

The expert meeting has as its central question the relationship between Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and the Politics. We welcome submissions on a range of (sub-)questions, such as: What is the relationship between the good citizen and the good man? What is the role of prudence in politics? What is the role of friendship in ethics and, possibly, in politics? What is the contribution of the contemplative life and the active life to human flourishing and to the political regime? What is the relationship between law and virtue? Is there a difference in methodology between the two treatises? Can Aristotle’s claim that the political scientist should study the human good inform contemporary political science?

All participants to the expert meeting are expected to have read both texts closely. The expert meeting is meant to provide a forum for scholars engaged in the reading of core texts in a meaningful way.

The deadline for proposals is Friday January 16th, 2015. Proposals are submitted by sending an abstract (max. 500 words) to Dr. Emma Cohen de Lara ([email protected]). Full papers (max. 10.000 words) should be distributed to the participants at least one week in advance of the meeting.

Each speaker receives a slot of 25 minutes for his/her talk, plus 15 minutes for discussion (40 minutes in total).

Please note: The ambition is to publish the revised contributions to the expert meeting as chapters in an edited volume. All contributions to the expert meeting will be reviewed for the book proposal.

There is no fee for the expert meeting. Coffee/tea and lunch will be provided. We will meet for drinks and dinner at Café/Restaurant De Polder, Science Park 205, Amsterdam at the end of the day. The expert meeting is open to students and graduate students.

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January 16, 2015, 4:00am CET

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