stotle, n.d., p. 1864). He adds that "in general passion seems to yield not to argument but to force" (n.d., p. 1864). He notes that the distinction between man and the animals is that "life is defined in the case of animals by the power of perception, that of man by the power of perception or thought," "life seems to be essentially perceiving or thinking" (n.d., p. 1849) and that "intellect is the best thing in us" (n.d., p. 1860).
Aristotle analyzes the basis for determining what is right or wrong and concludes no action is immoral or immoral by itself but rather because of the state of mind of the doer of an act: "the incontinent man, knowing that what he does is bad, does it as a result of passion, while the continent man, knowing that his appetites are bad, does not follow them because of his reason" (n.d., p. 1809). He notes that most people are guided by self-interest. He says that "all or most men, while they wish for what is noble, choose what is advantageous" and that "most people are . . . more anxious to be well treated than to treat others well" (n.d., p. 1837; 1845).
Aristotle's concept of morality is based on the cultivation of wisdom. He says that "happiness is activity in accordance with excellence" (n.d., p. 1860) and that "complete happiness is a contemplative activity" (n.d., p. 1862). The happy man is the moral man who is "modestly furnished with externals," who also has "done . . . the noblest acts, and lived temperately" (n.d., p. 1863). Morality essentially lies in avoiding excess and pursuing excellence through one's reasoning faculties. He sees laws as necessary to curb the unruly passions in man but says law should proceed "from a sort of practical wisdom and intellect" (n.d., p. 1865). His philosophy is elitist in that he does not believe that most men can achieve his ideal standard of morality, but he argues that law has an educative and uplifting function: "He who wants to make men . . . better b...