Compare the ethical views of Aristotle and Aquinas ( Editing, writing the final draft) - Essay Example

The life is of three types; the life that was mentioned, the contemplative life and the political life (Aristotle 8). Aquinas also agrees with Aristotle on what entails a noble task and highest good. Aquinas claims that external acts, the product of activity and the activity are considered as the highest goods. The other types of goods that Aquinas pointe out are the acts of reasoning and understanding. Both the philosophers place substantial importance to external goods and say that external goods are the highest quality of good activities.

These goods are very vital for a person to perform well. Both Aristotle and Aquinas agree that every person can be a good judge of himself. According to Aristotle (5), a person can competently judge the items he knows. The judge has to be trained in that particular field in order to pass judgment. According to Aquinas (168), a judge can examine a witness and find ways to acquit the innocent individual. Aquinas also comments on the competence of the judge and says that if the judge is unable to give the required judgment, the person being judged can be remitted to the higher court.

Aristotle and Aquinas propose similar philosophy in the area of virtuous actions and virtues. Aristotle defined virtue as a balance point that lies between the minimum and the maximum quantity of a train. Aristotle (39) says that in virtue, knowledge has little significance and it is the repeated acts of self-control and justice that can lead to the possession of values. Virtue brings out the good thing itself of which the good thing is the excellence. Virtue also results in excellences to perform assigned functions in a nice way (Aristotle 41).

Virtue entails actions and emotions and actions consist of deficiency, excess and median. Success and praise constitute the signs of excellence or virtue (Aristotle 43). Knowledge brings no benefit to a deficient and morally weak person. The person pursues his or her interests under the