Aristotle believes that people are “lucky by nature”. While life is made up of many problems, luck is an event that can alter the future in a positive or negative way. As for his account, Aristotle explains being lucky by nature in his arguments involving reason. In the Eudemian Ethics, Aristotle explains: "... men are fortunate, that is, those who generally succeed without the aid of reason." Reason motivates rationality; therefore luck is obtained without the means of wisdom due to its rational aspect. As far as logic goes, there is no scientific explanation for our success. If there were ways to control luck step by step, we would use this knowledge by creating lessons and teaching it to others. Since there is no reason to manage our situation, anomalous factors can contribute to our good fortune: “…we see fortunate men, who although foolish are often successful in matters controlled by fortune” (Aristotle, 1247a 4-5). For example, there was the famous genius Albert Einstein. He was a brilliant physicist who built important theories, but he had his flaws. Not only was Einstein known to be socially awkward due to his absent-minded behavior, but he grew up with a speech impediment and failed the college entrance exam. Luck is consistent because of the pattern formed when it "always and usually produces the same result." At this time, it would be prudent to point out that this is a valid point that helps differentiate luck and luck. A common mistake is when people believe that luck and fortune are interchangeable terms. This is not true because luck is considered a stable constant across events and happens periodically in life. After getting lucky several times, one believes…middle of the paper…usually makes a philosophical debate or discussion difficult because readers may not hold a religious view. While I have some lingering doubts against Aristotle's view of people being “lucky by nature,” in my opinion, it left very little room for error. When reading his report, he made sure to include a counterexample for each reason he gave and to explain why it wouldn't work. It strengthened his argument and made it extremely difficult to criticize his work, but it was still a short and interesting read. Works Cited Aristotle and Richard McKeon, The Fundamental Works of Aristotle. (New York: Random House, 1941). 1248b 27-8. For all further citations refer to (Aristotle, line number). Alex, “10 Strange Facts About Einstein.” Neatorama exclusives. March 26, 2007, January 30. 2012. .
tags