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St. Benedict Press LLC - Conor Gallagher

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119 pages

English

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You've never seen Aristotle like this! In If Aristotle's Kid Had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents, Conor Gallagher dusts off Aristotle's Ethics and reveals a vibrant, illuminating philosophy no less powerful and profound than when it was first penned. Aristotle's philosophy of man has endured for millenia. The truth of Aristotle's insights has been acknowledged by saints and scholars, illustrated in literature and pop culture, even empirically demonstrated by modern science. But you've never seen it like this. Inside you'll discover: - What the Dog Whisperer, Tony Robbins and Siegfried and Roy have to with Aristotle (and your kid!) - What Aristotle says about parental outsourcing - Why you should tell your kid to "Get Lost" - What the Beatles and Bill Gates can teach your kid (and you) about virtue - How to help your kid navigate the social world of Facebook - Why tweeting isn't real conversation - And, of course, what would he listen to if Aristotle's kid had an iPod? Gallagher masterfully weaves Aristotle, scientific studies, pop culture, and parenting tales together making If Aristotle's Kid Had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents a funny, rich, and informative read, and an indispensible guide for any parent who wants to pass on the secrets of a happy life to their kids.

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Catholic Church

Philosophy of religion

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Publié par	St. Benedict Press LLC
Date de parution	05 septembre 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781618908001
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0400€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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If Aristotle’s Kid
Had an iPod
Copyright © 2012 Conor Gallagher
All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by Chris Pelicano.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gallagher, Conor.
If Aristotle’s Kid had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents / byConor Gallagher.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 205).
ISBN 978-1-61890-414-0
1. Aristotle. Nicomachean ethics. 2. Ethics—Study and teaching. 3. Parenting—Religious aspects—Christianity. 4. Child rearing—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.
B430.G35 2012
171’.3—dc23 2012027437
Published in the United States by
Saint Benedict Press, LLC
PO Box 410487
Charlotte, NC 28241
www.saintbenedictpress.com
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
— DEDICATION —

To my wife, Ashley,
and my eight kids,
Aiden, Mary, Patrick, Peter, Jude,
Paul, Teresa, and Imelda Rose:
I love you more than my books.

“You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing …”
—Plato (Aristotle’s teacher)
“Well begun is half done.”
—Aristotle
Table of Contents
Introduction
PART I: VIRTUE
Chapter One: Aristotle and the Dog Whisperer
How to Become a Kid Whisperer
Don’t Shoot the Cat!
The Dog Whisperer and the Master of the Impossible
Chapter Two: A Rational Animal
Let’s Get Meta-Physical
Animal + Reason = Human
Vegging Out
Yuppies and Their Puppies
Chapter Three: Kids without Chests
Vulcans and Stoics at the Playground
Teaching Kids to Laugh, Cry, and Get Really Ticked Off
Chapter Four: The Four Moral Characters
Weak-Willed King David
Strong-Willed Frodo
Socrates: A Virtuous Man Is Hard to Find
Darth Vader: The Vicious
Chapter Five: If It Ain’t Easy, It Ain’t Virtue
The Super Athletes in Mexico’s Canyons
Virtue Is a Habit: You Are What You Eat
Chosen for Its Own Sake
The Mean between Extremes
Mentors: Aristotle’s Support for Parental Outsourcing
The Complete Definition of Virtue
PART II: FRIENDSHIP
Chapter Six: Your Kid Is a Social Animal
The Milgrim Experiment
The Stanford Experiment
The Still Face Experiment
The Bobo Doll Experiment
Your Kid’s Social Environment…Is You
Chapter Seven: The Three Types of Friendship
Useful Friendships: Utilitarians in the Sandbox
Pleasure Friendships: Epicureans in the Sandbox
True Friendship: Aristotle’s Kid in the Sandbox
Must Be Virtuous
More about Loving than Being Loved
True Friendship Is Infrequent
Chapter Eight: If Aristotle’s Kid Was on Facebook
Facebook and Virtual Presence
The Mother Teresa Effect
Tweeting vs. Conversation
Chapter Nine: If Aristotle’s Kid Had an iPod
Look at All the Lonely People
Aristotle Would Unplug His Kid
Set Your Kids Loose
Chapter Ten: The Other: From the Sandbox to the Altar
In the Sandbox
In the Sandlot
At the Prom
To the Altar
PART III: HAPPINESS
Chapter Eleven: The Real Role of Pleasure
Aristotle vs. Tony Robbins
The Lord of the Rings and the Ring of Gyges
The Real Role of Pleasure
The Necessity of Health, Wealth, and Reputation
Chapter Twelve: The Cardinal Virtues: Opening and Closing the Door to Happiness
Prudence: The X-Factor
Justice and the God-Given Right to Pizza Delivery
Courage: The My Lai Massacre
Temperance: Staying on the Fairway
Chapter Thirteen: Aristotle, the Beatles, and Bill Gates
The 10,000-Hour Rule
It Takes an Ancient Greek Village
Chapter Fourteen: Contemplation: Telling Your Kid to Get Lost
Aristotle’s Kid at the World Series
Aristotle’s Kid at a Concert
Contemplation in Friendship and Marriage
Chapter Fifteen: Why Your Kid Exists
In the End, Does Aristotle Let Us Down?
Happiness in Everything
Aristotle, Rudy Ruettiger, and Jerry Maguire
Real Good vs. Perceived Good
The Ultimate End
Aristotle’s Parenting Assessment Test
Aristotle’s Dictionary for Parents
Virtue Assessment for Kids (and for Parents Too)
Aristotle in Action
Notes
Acknowledgements
— INTRODUCTION —
Why I Wrote This Book
I WROTE this book for the same reason you are reading it: because I love my kids.
But as a parent, I’ve had to swallow a cold, hard truth: my kids deserve more than just love. The Beatles were wrong when they said, “All you need is love.” Most parents love their kids. Frankly, that’s easy. But does love alone make you a good parent? No. Kids deserve more: you need to help them develop virtue, help them forge true friendships, and ultimately lead them to happiness. At least that’s what Aristotle believed.
This is not really a parenting book. I’m not qualified to write one. I’m not going to say spanking is good or bad, or that video games are OK or not OK. Rather, I am going to use philosophy to help you understand how your kid can become virtuous, how he can develop true friendships, and what will truly make him happy. I’ll leave the specifics to your better judgment.
This book is a philosophy book for parents. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? But if you are a reasonably good parent, you already are a philosopher.
Philosophy is nothing more than the love of wisdom ( philosophia ) . This book shows the real, practical connection between the ancient wisdom of Aristotle and modern case studies, statistics, and the everyday life experience of raising kids. If you’re seeking wisdom in raising your kids, keep reading.
But why Aristotle? Born in 384 BC in Greece, Aristotle was a student of the famous Plato, who was a student of Socrates. He was bald. He had thin legs, small eyes, and spoke with a lisp. (He obviously made it with his brain, not his good looks.) His father, Nicomachus, was the court physician to Amyntas II (Alexander the Great’s grandfather). Aristotle was probably destined to be a doctor himself and may have practiced medicine to some extent. His father’s profession must have been a positive influence on Aristotle’s appreciation of the sciences. He is renowned for his work in physics, biology, zoology, politics, dramatic arts, economics, ethics, and more. In short, he wrote on everything from insects to constitutions—and every one of his works is considered a masterpiece. That is quite a résumé.
Perhaps the most influential thing Aristotle did, however, was tutor Alexander the Great until the age of sixteen, at which time Alexander began to conquer the known world. It’s no coincidence that the greatest emperor (who was a child himself) had the greatest teacher of all time. Many of the same lessons he must have taught to the emperor are contained in these pages.
Aristotle was concerned with human nature more than anything else. In order to become virtuous and happy, says Aristotle, your kid must perfect this human nature in a particular way . And this is what you will find in these pages.
Aristotle’s most famous work is called the Nicomachean Ethics . It was named either for his father, Nicomachus, or his only son by the same name. Essentially, Aristotle wrote a book about how to become a virtuous and happy human being. I suspect he named the work for his son as a gift, as if saying, “Son, this is your road map to happiness.” But whether named for his father or his son, Ethics is parenting advice to all future generations. It is exactly what he would tell parents because it is what he, as a parent, wanted his son to know.
But what if his son Nicomachus lived in 2012? Would Aristotle say the same things to him? YES. Absolutely. No doubt about it. How can we be so sure? Because everything he said was about the unchangeable human nature that every kid possesses. The current existence of Xbox and Facebook and iPods don’t change this. We must apply his principles to the modern world, but the principles are the same today as they’ve always been.
If you haven’t read the Ethics , put it on your bucket list. Aristotle will richly reward your efforts. His philosophical diction and terms can take some getting used to, though—which is one reason I wrote this book. If Aristotle’s Kid Had an iPod translates Aristotle’s concepts and arguments into contemporary language, serving as a fast-paced guide to the Ethics and preparing readers to tackle the great work itself.
All right, so Aristotle makes sense. Now, why me?
I don’t talk much about myself in the pages of this book, primarily because the book isn’t about me. It’s about Aristotle, your kid, and you. I’m not a psychologist. I’m not a therapist. I’m not a world-class philosopher. Heck, I don’t even have teenagers yet. So who am I?
My wife and I married young and started having babies. We have eight children. Our oldest is ten. No twins. Just one after the other. We understand Rug Rats pretty well, and I’ve found that Aristotle provides some excellent advice.
I’m a mediocre philosopher who is fed up with hearing stupid parenting advice and watching parents get pulverized by their kids. Every time I see a kid pitch a royal fit in public, every time I see parents succumb to their children’s demands (as if they are Alexander the Great), every time I see parents do the exact opposite of what should be done, I think to myself, “They need a good dose of Aristotle.” Well, here it is.
When I was studying philosophy in graduate school, I noticed that Aristotle’s concepts—of moderation, habit formation, friendship, pleasure versus happiness, and so on—were very helpful in raising my three little kids. As most young parents do, I poked around at parent books and concluded that most of them stink. The best advice for raising kids was coming from 350 BC , not from the 1969 pot-smoking Woodstock psychology that has overtaken the parenting section of your local bookstore.
I have a passion for finding how philosophy applies to modern-day life. I lo