I want to out smart my teacher on the Aristotle Politics thing...?

Question

she loves quick non stopping discussions and loves to see us tremble on our words.

we were having a discussion on Aristotle's Politics story and i want to go back to school and like confuse her with my words...

like make her think...

what could i say?

Answer 1

Tell her she's right and that she's the best teacher you ever had. Go for it!

Answer 2

Some people, in Aristotle's opinion, have strong desires (hotties), others have strong morals (fundies), and, for him, the good or eudaimonia (happiy camper) is the virtuous, who have agreement of desire and morals--what Gautama Buddha called "right desire."  This is the "golden mean," in which function follows form.

This is the material girl in a material whirl, i.e. no transcending informing Authority.

Perhaps you could imagine a dialogue in which your teacher trembles at your words...it's not so likely in real life.  Tyranny was not a bad thing in Aristotle's "Politics"...he sometimes believed that Monarchy was best, and Teacher knows best is perhaps similar.  There is no golden rule of putting yourself in the naive student's shoes, and trembling.

If you believe in the Christian God of Love, perhaps forgiving a bullying or tyrannical teacher is an option.  Otherwise, you're not likely to tell her anything she doesn't already know....

"A Philosophy of Universality," O. M. Aivanhov,

"Nihilism," Father Seraphim Rose,

"Harry Potter and Philosophy," ed. Baggett, and

"The Path of the Higher Self," Mark Prophet, may help.

Answer 3

Been over 25 years since I read the Politics, although I have occasionally looked at referenced passages. And I can promise you you would not confuse me "with [your] words." I assume your professor has far more than enough working knowledge of the subject that you are in a far better position to learn from her than her from you. Although the latter can happen to, same as the Sun is affected by the gravitational pull of the Earth. The point is the dialectics of learning, not confusing with sophistic games.I fully appreciate Aristotle is very difficult reading. One reason I focused on Plato. As opposed to Plato's dialogues, which are at times even poetry, as in the Symposium, Aristotle reads like poorly crafted lecture notes written by one (or more) students at the Academy. Now making her think: Bingo! What good to you really now would some one-liners be? You don't think she can expose the sophistic imitation of knowledge? To make her think, get in the game, not stand on the sidelines. READ the text, repeat as necessary. I assure you, your professor was sitting in your seat not so long ago, but long enough to be sure she did not get where she is on Yahoo Answers. Any answer you do get you must go back to the original text and figure out how you can support or critique it, just like she did, and we all have done, even before Aristotle. But, it is most highly unlikely that you will find anyone on this forum who is more knowledgeable on the Politics than your Professor. I would suggest pay attention to what she says and take notes, as did the students at the Academy. If you can't find a basis in the text to refute her as to what Aristotle meant, do you want to be wrong to win? That is sophism. Now, you certainly can argue why Aristotle was right or wrong. That is philosophy.

Answer 4

If you need help from a source like this, then the odds are pretty  high that she is smarter, or at least tries harder. I suggest you study harder and read more and think, and then think again. Good luck; having a goal like yours, if pursued honestly and ernestly, can lead to excellence. But you have to work for it, not ask others to give you smart things to say.  

Answer 5

Trying to outsmart your teacher is not really smart....... try to remove your obsession with her ways and behavior, and concentrate instead on learning.