Some positions in the trajectory of the interdisciplinary interpretation of Aristotle's ethical theory. Machiel Keestra Inst. for Interdisciplinary Studies, U Amsterdam, AIS Conference, Oct. 15, 2011

Ingredients of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Contents according to Ross’ translation: book i The Human Good book ii-iv Moral Virtue book v Justice book vi Intellectual Virtue book vii Continence and Incontinence: Pleasure book viii-ix Friendship book x Pleasure, Happiness --> concluding with a reference to Politics

Dimensions of ethical theory according to Aristotle’s approach Natural dimensions to explain dispositions/capabilities Environmental dimensions to explain development Socio-political dimensions to explain normative contents...Consequently involving a theoretical pluralism.

The Ethics’ discontinuous reception history Partial translations from 12th to 14th centuries First Greek edition, ca Contrast with Christian accomodation of Plato’s idea of the ‘absolute good’

Modern ethical theories’ focus on validity, not ‘genetic’ dimensions Kant’s Critique of pure practical reason (1788): -universalizable rules -that can be arrived at individually -via a reasoning process

Recent re-discovery of dimensions of ethical thought: 1 “ it is not profitable for us at present to do moral philosophy; that should be laid aside at any rate until we have an adequate philosophy of psychology, in which we are conspicuously lacking ” (Anscombe, Modern Moral Philosophy, 1958)

Rediscovered psychological dimension: morality as skill ‘ neuroscientific results suggest that the moral psychology of humans and other social animals such as chimpanzees, baboons, ravens, and wolves, are more consilient with the assumptions of virtue theory than with other theories” (Casebeer, Churchland, 2003)

Recent rediscovery of dimensions of ethical thought: 2 “The hermeneutic actuality of Aristotle” - self-understanding is partly constituted by its history & development (Gadamer, Wahrheit und Methode, 1960)

Rediscovered contextual dimension(s): ‘communitarian’ selves “The tradition of virtues is at variance with central features of the modern economic order and more especially its individualism” (MacIntyre, 1981) “the free individual can only maintain his identity within a society/culture of a certain kind” (Taylor, 1979)

Rediscovered dimensions: descriptive rather than normative Cf. a Hegelian critique of mistaking ‘Genesis’ for ‘Geltung’ – descriptive value is not yet normative. Risk of ‘naturalistic fallacy’ in current neo- aristotelian trends

How to continue this trajectory? Re-construction of Aristotle’s comprehensive account? Descriptive ethics Normative ethics Is there need c.q. room for an additional critical component in Aristotle’s Ethics?