INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY,unit 4, question #1, Essay

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY,unit 4, question #1, - Essay Example tions to philosophy Thomas White states â€Å"Aristotle is very much a commonsense philosopher, and commonsense tells us that people should be held responsible for what they do†(White, 2008). Therefore, because Aristotle believed and philosophized that people are responsible for their own lives and actions, which is the definition of commonsense in the realm of philosophy, Aristotle would definitely fit into such a category of philosopher. The idea of Aristotle being a commonsense philosopher is further shown through his discussions and thoughts on voluntary and involuntary actions. White defines voluntary actions as those that are â€Å"under our control,† and involuntary actions as those that â€Å"result from constraint or ignorance†(White, 2008). In Aristotle’s view, humans should be held responsible and accountable for the actions that they themselves have chosen and should not be held responsible for actions that were forced upon them or done through ignorance(White, 2008). However, Aristotle does seem to make the distinction between responsibility and accountability in regard to involuntary actions. It appears that this is where morality plays a large part as a person should be held more accountable for involuntary actions if those actions had a negative impact on the overall well-being of humanity. These voluntary and involuntary actions may be positive or negative, and both types of actions are related to the concept of well-being (White, 2008). By maintaining this viewpoint that humans must be held responsible or accountable for their actions, both good and bad, Aristotle is showcasing his commonsense approach to philosophy. Commonsense generally means knowledge that everyone has or should have. Aristotle’s contribution to philosophy uses a lot of the moral and ethical reasoning that already exists in a civilized society, but was not fully understood at that particular point in history. Aristotle brought this kind of thinking and reasoning to the