[lit-ideas] "A good criminal" (Was: the Greeks on 'virtue')
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 09:56:09 EDT
In a message dated 10/4/2004 12:01:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> While the Greeks spoke of that, Grice, too. In _Conception of Value_, he
> talks of the function of a tiger to be 'to tigerise' -- and the same for
> each
> noun. This is the finality (ratio essendi).
May it be inferred from this that the function of a burglar is to burglarise,
-----
Indeed. One of the paradoxes of Greek ethical theory is that, by their
standards, it was proper Greek to say,
"He is a good criminal"
--- meaning that he is good _qua_ criminal, and via implicature -- on
occasion -- that he is good _simpliciter_.
This had to do with their devious ideas on 'arete', 'agathos', and the rest
of it.
English makes a very clear distinction there, and we are surprised the
Ancient Greek philosophers never thought about it (Their language blinded
them).
Cheers,
JL
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