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PHILOSOPHY AS ART IN ARISTOTLE’S PROTREPTICUS
Author(s) -
Güremen Refik
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
metaphilosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1467-9973
pISSN - 0026-1068
DOI - 10.1111/meta.12448
Subject(s) - philosophy , soul , epistemology , telos , ancient philosophy , teleology , nature , practical philosophy
Observing certain affinities with Plato’s Alcibiades , this paper argues that a distinction between care ( epimeleia ) of the soul and philosophy as its art ( technê ) is reflected in Aristotle’s Protrepticus . On the basis of this distinction, it claims that two notions of philosophy can be distinguished in the Protrepticus : philosophy as epistêmê and philosophy as technê . The former has the function of contemplating the truth of nature, and Aristotle praises it as the natural telos of human beings; whereas philosophy as technê helps nature to accomplish the end it designed for human beings. It emerges that according to Aristotle in the Protrepticus philosophy is the art of making oneself coincide with one’s nature as a human being.