PHIL 1004 Homework 3 Tse Sing Yu 2008400581

Among the philosophers, there are some similarities among them. Most of all, the three has

put emphasis on individual self-cultivation and effort. To Aristotle, virtues have to be

developed by developing habits during childhood and phronesis during adulthood such that at

the end people would have the ability to judge the appropriate “mean”. To Confucius, to

develop virtues like ren and yi, one has to cultivate oneself through emulating role models as

well as constant concentration and study. To Mill, it is through “experiments of living” our

individuality could be cultivated.

The three philosophers’ philosophies differ in their degree of individuality. Mill is the one

who enshrines individuality who thinks that people should have diversity in their lifestyle as

they are under different conditions and are of different characteristics. On the contrary,

Confucius thinks that there are some role models (sages) that everybody should follow. The

Dao is something that all should commit to.

Reason has different places in the three philosophers’ philosophies. To Aristotle, reason is

the unique character of human and is the guideline by which we act in order to fulfill our

capacity. To Confucius, reason is of little importance to good life as virtues should be learnt

primarily through emulating role models.

Society has a special place in Confucius’s philosophy in that he thinks a good life should

include an orderly society where every individual lives in harmony. Society is of little
mention in Aristotle’s philosophy though he thinks being a political leader is the second-best

form of life. Mill would think that society can influence one’s mode of life but the concept of

society is of no importance to his theory which put emphasis on individuality.

As regards their relative strengths and weaknesses, Aristotle’s conception of a good life is

based on the teleological concept of nature that everything has a function. However, modern

scientific theory can no longer support this theory. Also, what is natural does not constitute

what ought to be done. The strength of Aristotle is his link of virtues and happiness. In my

opinion virtues in the end is to achieve happiness instead of other things especially

unhappiness.

For Confucius, he emphasizes that li is a guide to the expression of the core virtue ren.

However, the lack of justification of li makes it vulnerable to criticisms of conformity. Also,

the outdated elaborations of li in the Analects make it inapplicable to modern daily life.

However, if we are talking about the spirit of Analects, I think every student who has read

Analects would feel the ideal personal character and society Confucius wants us to achieve.

By setting a good example Confucius is always noticeable to people in a disorderly world.

Mill has noticed idiosyncrasies of people and he thinks of life as many “experiments”. This

makes his philosophy applicable in any times at any places to anybody who struggles to have

a good life. But he has put so much emphasis on individualities without talking about social

interaction with others which makes his account inadequate.