%0 Journal Article
%T A Problem With Aristotle¡¯s Ethical Essentialism
%A Tibor R. Machan
%J Libertarian Papers
%D 2010
%I Ludwig von Mises Institute
%X Aristotelian ethics is still very promising, mainly because of its meta-ethical naturalism. As in medicine, what¡¯s good versus bad is based on knowledge of the nature of something. With the addition of a strong doctrine of voluntary action, the morally good life is one within which one pursues one¡¯s human flourishing (by means of practicing the virtues). An obstacle is Aristotle¡¯s essentialism whereby he stresses what is distinctive about human beings, not what is a matter of their nature, as the standard of right versus wrong conduct. If this is amended in Aristotle what emerges is what some have called a genuine naturalist, biocentric ethical eudaimonism. Here I sketch the case for this amended Aristotelian ethical view.
%K libertarianism
%K aristotelian ethics
%U http://libertarianpapers.org/2010/10-machan-aristotles-ethical-essentialism/