Connell, Sophia Margaret Mothering and intelligence in Aristotle’s Biology and Ethics. In: World Congress “Aristotle 2400 Years”, 23-28 May 2016, Thessaloniki, Greece. (Unpublished)
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Abstract
This paper discusses parenting as a virtue in Aristotle's thought. I divide the paper into three parts. The first section discusses Aristotle’s use of the term φρόνησις (practical wisdom) in his biological works where the thinking described relates specifically to parenting and especially mothering. I then explain what it is that goes on in human parenting activities and thinking which (although natural) mark them off from what occurs in other animals. Next I will turn to Aristotle’s ethics and his description of human children as friends. In the final section, I will explain the effect of the virtue of caring for younger friends with reference to Aristotle’s discussion of a child as a product and the parent as a producer. A striking feature throughout this analysis is the seldom unacknowledged admiration shown for the female sex in the texts of Aristotle. In both human and non-human animals, female parents, even more so than male ones, display superior virtues and intelligence of the correct sort when striving to care for and train the young.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies |
| Depositing User: | Sophia Connell |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Mar 2021 14:14 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:41 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/21955 |
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