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Aristotles Function Argument And

The Concept Of Mental Illness


BY: CHRISTOPHER MEGONE
Aristotles function argument

Presented in Nicomahean Ethics introduces it as a resource to


clarify what constitutes as Eudaimonia.
If we can determine the function or purpouse of a thing then we
can derermine the good of a thing of that kind!
To determine whether a musician, sculptor or any other artist is
good at his activity one needs to know the purpouse or function of
each of their skills. This depends on knowing the nature of a good
musician or sculptor. Thus, it is tied to knowing the function of each
skill.
Human function is realized in an active life of the element that has
a rational principle.
Human species as a natural kind
Natural Kinds they make up the key subjects of change to be
comprehended in this effort to make the natural changing world
intelligible. Here he approaches it investigating how they differ from
the artifacts. He claims that a member of a natural kind have a
nature, it being an inner source of change and staying unchanged.
Thus humans have a nature!
Some things are due to nature; for others there are other causes.
An oak tree!
Aristotle distinguishes 4 different kinds of explanatary mode
(formal,material, bringing-about and teleological)
Changes explained as an inner source of change - teleological
Aristotles account of mental illness

It vindicates the concept of mental illness by developing the view


that the distinctively human good life is a life of reason. It may occur
that some illnesses will involve failures in the development in those
complex mental capacities that are necessary, but not sufficient for
a life of reason.
According to Aristotle these failures should be seen as functional
failures as well.
Key aspect of the rational life is the life of rational action or
intentional action.
Coopers objections to Megones Aristotelian
account
According to Cooper Megone advances an overly inclusive
account of mental illness. It could classify something that is not an
illness as an illness.
Someone who decides to stay in bed all day, just because.... Is not
ill, he/she is quite lazy. Megone defends his example by stating that
incapacitating failure is nothing like a decision not to act.
Cooper throws a counterargument that there are people who are
quite ugly and unintelligent, but they are not ill. Alongside that, there
could be bad states within a person that undermine his flourishment
(social and educational)

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