[Xmca-l] Re: Habits (Greek: ethos)

[R.J.S.Parsons]

I should have replied to this sooner, for which my apologies. I'm afraid 
I can't help with Aristotle or the Greek notion of ethics. The 
philosophy I did in my classics degree was mostly the pre-Socratics, 
with whom I did not get on, much to my subsequent regret. So I'm not 
mush use on the classical notion of ethics, except perhaps to comment 
that, in a period spanning a thousand years, there will be more than one 
notion.

I was really only dealing with the linguistic issue about what the Greek 
word "ethos" signified. It did stand for "habit", but might be better 
translated in some settings as "custom" or "usage", hence a more 
colletive aspect. And it might also signify "character". So there is in 
there, I think, a combination of actions called habits, which are 
probably individual, but also collective construction in the idea of 
usage or custom, and finally the idea of a disposition in character. The 
idea of disposition perhaps nudges us towards virtue ethics, as in what 
kind of chaacter is a person who has these habits.

Rob

On 08/07/2016 11:31, Ma, James (james.ma@canterbury.ac.uk) wrote:
> Hello Rob,
>
>
> I'd be interested to hear more too - perhaps if you could shed light on the entirety of Aristotelian rhetoric (ethos, pathos and logos). I'm always interested in what falls within the realm of subjectivity.
>
>
> James
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu> on behalf of Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com>
> Sent: 08 July 2016 10:10
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Habits (Greek: ethos)
>
> Rob,
> Please do say more.
> What is the classical notion of "ethics"? or "'ethos"? etc.
> -greg
>
> On Fri, Jul 8, 2016 at 5:38 PM, R.J.S.Parsons <r.j.s.parsons@open.ac.uk>
> wrote:
>
>> Sorry, can't keep my hands off this. "Ethos" in Greek is one of those
>> untranslatable words that bundles up a whole set of concepts without an
>> equivalent in English. It includes the idea of habits, habitually, but
>> it is not rght to say it *is* the Greek word for habit.
>>
>> I'm not against us discussing habits at all; it just awoke the
>> slumbering classicist in me.
>>
>> Rob
>>
>> On 08/07/2016 04:46, Annalisa Aguilar wrote:
>>> Greg,
>>>
>>> (I'm starting a new thread with I hope a less loaded word than ethics).
>>>
>>> When you said, "person X habitually responds to a particular type of
>> situation with behavior Y" I was reminded of JJ Gibson's affordances, but
>> it depends upon what you mean by "situation," right?
>>> Just thought to add this to the mix.
>>>
>>> Kind regards,
>>>
>>> Annalisa
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
> --
> Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
> Brigham Young University
> Provo, UT 84602
> http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
> Gregory Thompson | Brigham Young University - Academia.edu<http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson>
> byu.academia.edu
> Gregory Thompson, Brigham Young University, Anthropology Department, Faculty Member. Studies Education, Social Psychology, and Discourse Analysis.
>
>
>