Something that I have noticed about Aristotle’s writings is how he tends to generalize his findings to all mankind. When describing the young he depicts all young men as “courageous” or “hot-tempered” (ch.12, pg. 84) .With the elderly, all are “cynical” and “small minded’’ (ch. 13, pg. 85). Even though these characteristics may be true for a majority of the age population, they don’t apply to everyone. I have heard stories of people who have grandmothers who get angry and throw things, just as I have friends, my age, who are cynical about Valentine’s Day.
While you can take Aristotle’s claims into consideration, I think that some of his ideas of human character don't apply in modern times. Aristotle writes “They love both more than they love money, which indeed they love very little, not having yet learnt what it means to be without it…” (ch. 12, pg. 84). I feel that in our society, young people are taught at an early age the value and importance of money. They associate it with getting items they want (or think they need) such as iphones, x-boxes, designer clothes, etc. In America at least, individuals become infatuated with money because it can lead them to some type of reward or pleasure. Just looking at how many people get into credit card debt at such a young age shows the drive for money and belongings. While the young can love money, they can also know what it means to be without it. When the recession hit a couple of years back, thousands lost their jobs and even more became homeless. In some states, homelessness became so rapid that “tent cities’ began to form in some communities. The young people who had to go through this situation probably longed for the amenities they once had, and truly felt how it was to go from having money to having nothing.
Another claim of Aristotle’s that I didn’t find quite right was when he wrote that the elderly love life (ch. 13, pg. 86). The reason why I found this peculiar was because before this statement, he described the elderly as fearful, expecting the worst out of situations, distrustful, small-minded, and thinking that life on the whole is bad business (ch. 13, pg. 85-86). I don’t understand how you can have all these negative characteristics and ideas and still find life enjoyable.
I think that you raise a very good point about Aristotle making sweeping generalizations. I also think what you say about the young valuing money is an interesting point because we live in a much faster moving highly commercial society. Where people of all ages are targeted with advertising. This article is a few years old, so the number is probably higher, but in 2006 the average person saw 5000 ads a day. This clearly wasn't the case in Ancient Greece.
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I agree that Aristotle makes sweeping generalizations, but I think that doing so is necessary to the art of rhetoric. It is important to know your audience. Although there are few statements you could make that would accurately describe each member of a group, it is not unreasonable to think of a few guidelines that would make your argument more relevant to them. In my blog, I talk about the generalizations that Aristotle makes about young men, especially that they are swayed by sexual urges. Advertisers understand this, and use it to their advantage. A body was marketed at elderly women would not be advertised the way men's body washes are. It would simply be offensive. It is important to recognize these differences between groups, even if they aren't accurate on the individual level.
ReplyDelete@Elphie - I agree completely, Aristotle made a lot of sweeping generalizations that were perhaps marginally-true in his time (and may be highly suspect in ours.)
ReplyDelete@Suzi - His assertion that the elderly value money more than the young seems to be one of these assertions that was based on his society and not ours. Back when money was seen as more of a Means to an end(ex. to acquire food/clothing, ensure survival) perhaps the elderly were more prone to protect it. They had experienced a lack of money more than the youth had, and were keenly aware of it's importance. Once bitten twice shy. In our time, now that money has become An End In And Of Itself, it seems to be more universally valued. As you and Donah note, there are a million things that money can buy these days-something for everyone.
Aristotle does make sweeping generalizations about the emotions and characters of audiences, and there are definitely exceptions to his descriptions. But I do think his descriptions are by and large true (still today, even more so 2500 years ago I suspect). Moreover, we have to realize that Aristotle described emotions and character as rhetorical pedagogy. He was trying to help people understand emotions in order to make them effective rhetoricians. For these purposes, I believe Aristotle was pretty successful.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point about Aristotle's discussion of how the young feel about money. I think people value money more as they get older (I guess I am agreeing with Aristotle). When you're a child, money doesn't mean a whole lot--at most, it lets you buy toys or candy. But as you get older, the value of money also increases. Money comes to represent time, energy, talent, and work--essentially it is a reflection of your overall worth, converted into currency. As Gordon put it, money goes from being a means to an end to an end in and of itself.
I think you're interpreting the part on the elderly in a little different way than it is intended. While Aristotle does say that they are fearful, small minded and such, he doesn't necessarily mean that they are cowering in fear and isolating themselves out of some kind of bitterness towards the world. Instead all of this really plays more into caution. Unlike youth that is willing to take big risks because they know they have time and a firm body, the elderly have to be cautious about their actions because if they hurt themselves or become destitute, that's it (Particularly 2400 years before Social Security and Medicare). You simply don't have the time and energy to reclaim what you have lost, so you go to great pains not to lose it in the first place. Similarly this is why the characterization of older people as "close minded" is so prevalent both in Aristotle and in our modern society. Being open minded is to embrace change, and change requires you to adapt. When you're worried about maintaining what you have, change is a terrifying thing.
ReplyDeleteOf course all of this doesn't mean that you can't enjoy life or anything, it just means that for Aristotle's view of the elderly they take it at a much slower, more cautious pace.
Your part about the youth and money stood out to me first. I really hadn't thought about that, it's a good point. I think the youth nowadays holds money much greater then most other people. I can see this the heaviest in fraternities and sororities (just my opinion if anyone does Greek life here). Money is used as something to show power or status for young people. Everyone wants to have what the other one doesn't.
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