Practical philosophy between Plato and Aristotle

approaches and distances from the concept of good

Abstract

The present paper aims to expose the arguments and the main similarities and differences between two classical philosophers, namely Plato and Aristotle, on the concept of good. Gadamer declares that Aristotle inaugurates practical philosophy when he criticizes Plato's idea of “good”. But what does it mean? Why does what we call “practical philosophy” not seem to be present in Platonic thought? Aristotle, in fact, grants himself the foundation of an intrinsically practical philosophy from his criticism of Plato’s theory of Ideas, under the presupposition of virtues guided by phronesis, in an ontology of contingency. However, there seems to be evidence of an ontological reformulation by Plato in the Philebus dialogue, which leads us to understand a new proposal for the conception of the good also based on contingency, and no more than an objective universal ideal as seen in the Republic. Finally, it is intended to show here how both philosophers, even with clear divergences, can converge and contribute to a synthetic proposal of the good and eudaimonistic life.