Document Type : Original Article
Author
PhD in Comparative Philosophy, Shahid Motahari University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
The Greeks, like Heraclitus, considered the being to be the arena of war, and they understood that life is the struggle between forces. The Greek equivalent of “War” is the word “polelos” (πόλεμος) which has common roots with the words “pallō” (πάλλω) which means “I give order”, “plemitzō” (πελεμίζω) that means “I’m shivering” and “psallō” (ψάλλω) that means “I am sculpting”. Therefore, life in its most Greek sense is to fight with fear and trembling to balance the forces in order to achieve harmony. This meaning is essentially connected with the concept of “phronesis” (φρόνησις) which means to look at the situation and choose the best work that can be done among the struggle between forces. This is what brings a person to his special goodness or “aretē” (ἀρετή/aretei). Areti is from “Aretaō” (ἀρετάω) meaning to be appropriately and to do appropriately. The force that establishes this appropriateness and proportion in human works and actions is the same thing that is interpreted as planning of human life or “phronēsis”. Meanwhile, Aristotle, following the Greek tradition, believes that “phronēsis” is the basis of justice or “dikaiosynē” (δικαιοσύνῃ) which is the foundation of all goodness and leads the individual or the society to happiness or “Eudaimonia” (εὐδαιμονία).
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