Saturday, January 25, 2020

An Overview Of Semiotics And Structuralism Drama Essay

An Overview Of Semiotics And Structuralism Drama Essay In the early 20th Century Ferdinand de Saussure developed the linguistic theory of semiotics, the study of signs within language and the implications of these signs. This involved the analysis of words within texts but after development could be applied to all kinds of art, even paintings and music. The meanings and signs were discovered by studying why a word had been chosen over another, which in turn developed the idea of binary oppositions, for example it is cold because it is not hot. The signs within a text are differential, and it is important to study the relationship between the signs that are being given, and therefore in performance the audience are being sent many messages from what they perceive and this produces very complex layers of meanings as different signs connect with one another. Even seeing how the words are put together, particularly in old texts where the order is different to now, studying the sentences and which words are put with one another give a deeper meaning to the piece. Saussure introduced the idea of there being a signifier and signified to produce a sign. For example, the word tree would be a signifier, and then in the receivers mind they would produce their idea of a tree and this would be the signified, which when both are put together produce the sign of an actual tree. There are many interesting parts to this idea, for example the arbitrary state of these signs, in that there is no intrinsic link between signifier and signified (Culler, 20) as there is no clear reason why a tree is called a tree. Most words can be classed with this arbitrary argument (except onomatopoeia and words that are formed from two others, such as typewriter) and as a result what is further revealed is that because these words have no clear reason for use, everyone has their own interpretation. As a result different words mean different things to different people, and therefore one person may take a certain sign from an aspect of a piece, whereas another persons interpr etation could produce a completely separate sign from the same aspect. As there are so many cultures and no two people have the exact same experiences, each view of a piece will be very different. This does not make one readers interpretation more important, but in fact all signs picked up by all readers of the piece have to be taken into account, making it more complex than even just one person analysing it. Texts are made more complicated by the fact that they are diachronic, as they mean different things depending on when they are being read. For example, an ancient Greek play would have different meanings to it if seen by an ancient Greek in comparison to a contemporary audience. These contrasts in cultures add even more signs to a piece, as it is the differences between the views that show that one audience is missing a significant part of the meaning, and what this lack of meaning will mean as a result. Consequently it is important to acknowledge what would have been taken from the piece in its original time and place for cultural context. Theologists such as Charles Peirce produced another branch off these original ideas based on the idea of the arbitrary state, by analysing how arbitrary a signifier would be in relation to the sign. What he produced was three tiers symbols (such as a word) which were very arbitrary, indexes would be something more closely connected, (such as a musical note on paper) and icons were the least arbitrary, for example a photo or an actor playing a character. Even though this branched off from Saussures semiology ideas, what was important to take from it was that even if a signifier was an icon and was very close to the sign, still a sign stands for something which is not presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ thus reinforcing the absence and metaphysical hollowness that haunt all signification. (Fortier, 22) In light of this, the whole of reality is questioned as if everyones interpretation of a situation is different, and no sign is more valid than another, what truly is reality, when nobody has the sa me view? This is what semiotics takes on as it is used, as every little thing is an interpretation to somebody, and therefore it is hard to see where to stop analysing, leading to unlimited semiosis, (22) as either everything must have a meaning or nothing has. In light of this a performance can be analysed as soon as an audience enters the theatre space, if not earlier. Peirces ideas, though connected, did branch off significantly from Saussures original work, so for this essay Peirces work is acknowledged but Saussures work will be put into use more. From semiology, Roland Barthes saw the significance of interpretation and chose to take this further in his own studies as he developed what is now known as structuralism. In his ideas, he emphasised the Death of the Author: it is language which speaks, not the author; to write is, through a prerequisite impersonalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to reach that point where only language acts, performs, and not me. (Barthes, Image, 143) In this light, the authors only function is to produce the text but the readers interpretation is that which brings the detail to the piece, activating jouissance, an orgasmic joy in the unbridled dissemination of meaning. (Fortier, 24) Similar to semiotics, the use of contrasting cultures can produce resistant reading in structuralism, for if a piece has been produced in the style of one cultures codes, reading it using the codes of a different culture means that the text can be read against itself. Codes were very important to Barthes, seen as cultural definitions, for example to the Western world a cow is often seen just as an animal that produces milk and beef, but to a Hindu culture cows are sacred, so even something as simple as this has hugely contrasting meanings to different cultures, and so codes are put into place to help with this analysis. In his work S/Z, Barthes produced five important Narrative Codes, which were: proairetic, which indicated actions; hermeneutic, providing suspense in questions within the text; cultural, using social norms to define information about characters, referencing outside the text to knowledge that should be common to certain cultures; semic or connotative, which detail characters through theme, connected to the final code, symbolic, which goes further than this to binary pairings and larger themes to create a more detailed image for the reader. (Barry, 51) It is clear that semiotics and structuralism overlap and connect with each other greatly and so can be used together in analysing a piece of text, artwork or similar. In their development it seems as if they fed off each other, each building on the same ideas and creating similar ideas. However the main difference appears to be that semiotics are very focused, studying in detail cultural inferences, whereas structuralism is much broader and looks more at the overall effects of the play. By understanding these systems and theories of how all aspects of a text are codes and symbols for the reader to interpret, they can then be used on a play, such as the medieval play Everyman. Written in the late 15th Century, it is generally thought that this plays origin is the Dutch play Elckerlijc, written about the same time (Patterson, 142). Interestingly in the idea of the Death of the Author, the author is unknown for this piece. As a result any personal influences are immediately ruled out an d simply the readers interpretation can be focused on. In this play, Everyman is preparing to die after a visit from Death, and so asks different allegorical figures to join him on his journey to his final resting place. All of these figures represent certain characteristics of humans, such as Goods, Kindness or Strength, but are vividly fleshed out, for the playwright gives these characters traits and behaviours that make them powerfully real and recognizable as individuals on the stage rather than as abstract moral emblems. (Worthen, 236) As a result the use of gestures and the language style that each character uses would emphasise these traits or attributes, and so semiotics can be used to analyse these in detail. Sadly in this text there are very limited stage directions as with most pieces of that era, so much of the work has to be found within the text itself. This reminds us that a play text is arguably not complete in its own state, as it is simply a tool to be used to produce a performance. In medieval times God was much more prominent than nowadays, and so for God to appear in a play in such a way would have had a significant impact on the audience as a true moral lesson in the dwindling ways of peoples behaviour. However in contemporary audiences who are much more atheist, the full significance of the situation may be lost, as an afterlife is believed in less and less, so this means that the moral must come out of not the religious side of the play but of the morals, to simply encourage people to be better in their way of living rather than to emphasise the preparation of arriving at heavens doors. God, in this play, only appears at the beginning of the play to send Death on his mission but as he is the first proper character to appear his moment is made even more prominent. What is notable about the version in Pattersons Wadsworth Anthology is that when God finishes speaking he withdraws (line 71) whereas all other characters such as Death exit (183). This contrast in word choice implies that God never truly exits, and is therefore still involved in the action on stage, a very subtle religious message to the audience that God is always watching. The text also suggests something about the character of God, as he says they forget clean (30) and clean forsake me (35). Using the word clean as he describes sinners is very symbolic as it reflects Gods willingness to forgive and see people as naturally good people who are corrupted, but the cleanliness of their souls is still evident. In contrast to God, Deaths language seems simpler and more to the point when speaking to him, as he takes no time to talk about himself but offers himself up fully for Gods will: Your commandment to fulfill (65). An audiences first view of this character would see a very obedient character that was sudden and swift, which portrays death in reality, which is often sudden and sharp, striking at an unexpected moment. Already within the first 70 lines the reader has experienced very powerful messages, some of which may have only been absorbed subconsciously but will be brought up constantly throughout the play. Everyman, the human representative in the play, is very interesting to study. He gives off a style of conversation that is very hermeneutic, constantly asking questions until he finally gets the answers he needs. His inquisition suggests that he is very confused and startled by the appearance of Death, as would any human, as well as doubtful of what is happening. However as soon as he understands he seems sorrowful and it is clear that he does believe what he is being told by Death as the questions become less frequent. Sadly though, he seems naÃÆ' ¯ve of reality, saying Death giveth no warning! (132) but this seems foolish as death never gives warnings in real life. His fear of death is shown through his desperation, as he offers Death a thousand pounds if his fate could be delayed, again a sign of naivety. Overall this seems to represent a man who does have faith, who is naturally good, but who has got lost in life and has been distracted by worldly things rather than higher mea nings. On line 184, Everyman says Alas, I may weep with sighs deep! This is a very poetic moment as there is an internal rhyme and a true rhythm to the line, and we can learn a lot just from these words. It gives a general feeling of true sorrow, emphasised by Alas but he also seems a softened character, by the use of weep. Where sob or cry may have been used, the author has provided us with a softer sounding word that creates poetry. The beautiful result is that of grace and compassion, and so the reader feels for and relates closely to the character of Everyman, which is obviously the point of the play. We, as readers, then experience the arrival of the first moral figure Fellowship. Death has just left but clearly the impending doom still lingers in the air, as Fellowship even though oblivious to the recent events uses many words connected to death, such as lifes end (213), die (220), say no more (223) and hell (232). This could be seen as dramatic irony, as these words would sting Everyman because of his most recent experience. As a character he is very friendly and his first words on line 206 (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦good morrow, by this day!) are of enthusiasm and amity. These emphasised, optimistic words suggest that Everyman will be safe after all, and Fellowship vows his companionship to Everyman with words suggesting he would die for the friendship, wanting nothing in return. However in discovery of what is needed, Fellowship fails Everyman and refuses to commit to the journey, even in true friendship. This seems like a comment on human actions, questioning whether all humans are li ke Fellowship, willing to be dedicated and loyal until a true time of need comes and we have to sacrifice something important to ourselves. The despair that comes over Everyman in realisation of the fleeting, worthless relationship would resonate throughout an audience as they realise their own decisions in life. Many of the characters are like this, giving Everyman hope at first but letting him down at the true moment of need. Even Five Wits, Beauty, Discretion and Strength, who all appear to be dedicated to him, fail him at the moment when he reaches the grave. All of these are comments on human observations, as we fail one another in the same way and depend on the wrong things in life. Strength is a very interesting character to analyse as every time he speaks he uses several proairetic words, for example We will bring him all thither, / To his help and comfort, ye may believe me (lines 675-6). This suggests that this strength is to represent both mental and physical strength, as his words are active as well as emotive, as help and comfort have dual functions. The physical aspect is emphasised by reference to Judas Maccabaeus, a Jewish historical warrior, so there is a true feeling of fighting and power which is encouraged further by his words such as in battle fight on the ground (685). H owever, as Strength leaves, it reflects on how fear would overpower Everyman at this point, finally coming to terms with his mortality and feebleness as a human as well as despairing in his inevitable fate. Knowledge, on the other hand, is the figure that saves and guides Everyman in the end. He acts as a helping hand to the protagonist, as he can give him information and provide logic and clear decisions, such as suggesting the visit to Confession. This pushes Everyman forward where he may have been lost before, having not thought to call on Knowledge but was suggested by Good Deeds. This is used within the text to show how when fear arrives, humans struggle to focus and think logically, so the arrival of Knowledge is vital to Everymans continued journey, who soon realises the value of this companion and depends on him: give me cognition (538) so the message of the true worth of knowledge is passed on to the readers. Our final character contact is that of the Doctor, who sums up the whole significance of the tale for the reader. In reality a doctor is a scientific, logical person who can be trusted and is responsible for saving others, so the image of a doctor at the end is very official and makes the meaning that more important to listen to. Stating the point of the play very clearly, he addresses the audience directly (ye hearers, line 903), drawing in the spectators to emphasise the connection between Everyman and every man. He stresses the importance of understanding the moral of the play by saying take it of worth (903) while the word worth plays on the idea of our true values in life and what things are really worth to us. This play has constant religious intonations throughout, a significant example is that it opens with the words I pray and the last line says Amen. This is suggesting that the whole text is a prayer, from start to finish. Additional to this is the constant references to Jesus such as on lines 751 and 894 as well as a variety of other religious figures, which supports the theory that a monk or cleric wrote it. (Patterson, 236) Furthermore, the use of the Angel who uses very soft sounds rather than having words chosen with sharp endings or harsh starts, we get a very peaceful feeling of this character as appears only briefly and suggests a soothing impact on our Everyman. Overall, by analysis we can see deeper emphasises of the various figures and their significance within this story as well as the story of life. Semiosis and structuralism allow us to question words with a more scientific mind to see hidden layers of meaning, giving the whole play a stronger feeling of implication on ou r own life. The author, although unknown, may have written it as a message on his own views, or may have been channelling a message from above, but whether in text or performance the reader is taught that this life is fleeting and we must not hesitate to discover our true priorities on Earth.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Five forces for Zappos Essay

The threat of new entrants into the online shoe/apparel market is relatively small due to the fact that Zappos is such an established brand and has specialized their business model. It would be far too expensive for a new company to copy the characteristics of Zappos including their next day delivery and large overhead. The fact that Zappos was losing money initially illustrates this difficulty. Another issue that would create a high barrier to entry is Zappos commitment to the consumer through overnight shipping. Zappos stated that the overnight shipping caused them to leave their warehouses open for the entire day. Any other company would be at a competitive disadvantage if they didn’t match this business practice. In all the way Zappos does business creates too high a barrier to entry for threats of new entry to be high; for that reason we would rate it 2 OF 5. _Substitutes_ We would rate substitutes at 3 OF 5, being that the threat is somewhat average. With the uniqueness of Zappos, not many stores can match such a shopping experience service as Zappos. The reason we ranked the threat of substitutes at 3 of 5 is because there are Brick and Mortar Stores that may be used as substitutes of Zappos. These specialty stores are not up to Zappos standards, but at the same time their specialization with certain products make them a threat to Zappos. The whole person-to-person contact can have a big advantage in terms of customer service. Zappos answers by extraordinary customer service, which really makes the average consumer feel as if they are special and are in contact with a real person. _Rivalry_ The rivalry with existing firms for Zappos is fair, we gave it a rating of 3.5 OF 5. A main competitor for online retail is Amazon; however Amazon recently bought out Zappos. Since their largest competitor is now a sister company, the main competition Zappos faces are highly specialized online retailers – such as Karmaloop and EastBay. These competitors pose a threat to some of Zappos’ sections such as athletic shoes, sporting goods, accessories, and apparel. Both of these sites offer free shipping as well, so that takes away one of Zappos’ main competitive advantages. Zappos still has the premier customer service. Currently their biggest rival is eBay, eBay offers everything that Zappos does, and sometimes at a lower price. However since eBay is an auction site, it cannot guarantee a set price or free shipping like Zappos can. Customer service is where Zappos sets itself apart from its competition, offering a 365 day return policy and 24/7 call center hours based in the US. _Suppliers_ We rated the bargaining power of suppliers at a 5 OF 5 because Zappos has a lot of leverage. A reason behind this is Zappos couldn’t function effectively without a cooperative supplier since they are a distribution company. If the supplier decided that they wanted more money per shipment then Zappos most likely comply. Taking the resources to find new supplies can be very costly. Also, they may not be able to find a supplier that can offer them the same variety of brands and styles that the current supplier does. Another way the supplier has bargaining power is that there are other companies like Amazon or Overstock.com that they could choose to do business with if Zappos isn’t satisfying their needs. The supplier is possibly the most crucial link in the value chain for Zappos and for this reason they have a lot of bargaining power with Zappos. _Customers_ There are two aspects we can look at the bargaining power of customers. (1) Zappos is customer service based and the customers know that. If the  customers lose their power, Zappos may lose customers. (2) Customer’s do not have many direct substitutes. Shoes are a necessity and here are few options like Zappos for buying shoes online. In essence they lose a bit of their power by this fact. Chances are if the customer does not like brick and mortar stores (physical shopping) they will still need to purchase from Zappos but it opens up gap then of which a new entrant may try to take advantage. Keeping both those aspects in mind, the bargaining power of customers can be considered intermediate; thus a rating of 3 OF 5. CONCLUSION Zappos has created a very structural attractive company. There is a lot of room for growth with the recent purchase by Amazon. ‘ZAPPOS FIVE FORCES AND SWOT ANALYSIS’ First prepare a Five Force Analysis of how Zappos operates using Michael Porter’s framework. Provide a short, direct and to the point analysis of each of the five forces as well as a CONCLUSION about the overall structural attractiveness of the industry in which your company operates. Substantiate your analysis with DATA. Secondly, present an overall SWOT analysis of Zappos, discuss the implications of the analysis for future strategic options the company might address. You may use a narrative style or diagram for each of the industry  forces and your SWOT analysis. In all cases you must PROVIDE A SCALE of how you rate each force in terms of its effect on the industry’s competitiveness now and in the future, e.g. High/Medium/Low and Increasing/Decreasing/ Staying the Same. The objective of this case is for you to understand how the choices a company makes about its resources and capabilities will affect its strategic viability.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Jealousy in relationship Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Problems will be discussed collaboratively and couples will find a time to bond and address feelings of fear and insecurities. Meanwhile, the article also implied that it is the responsibility of a partner to reassure his/her love when initial indications of jealousy are observed. In this way, insecurities, jealousy, and acting out of anger are avoided. The enlightenment stage comes next when jealousy are communicated with their partners. All of the confusions and suspicions are gone for the jealous partners are now able to understand the reason why their partners chose them. Reassurance of love of the significant others offer comfort and will make the partner think that despite imperfections, their partner love them for what they really are and will not look or wait for someone better because of that imperfections. Relationships are just as simple as the love that both partners feel for each other. The key to a strong relationship is the elimination of the negative thoughts such a s the thought that your partner might leave you, either for someone better or because of imperfections. Instead, thinking of the reasons why couple’s relationships are stable and satisfying and admitting to one’s self that you are worthy of your partner’s love will strengthen your love. Review of the Article The article about jealousy was presented to the media in a negative way. We will write a custom essay sample on Jealousy in relationship or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Although, it was stated in the article that some couples find jealousy a flattering experience, negative presentations of jealousy were deeply emphasized. Knox & Schacht stated that there are also desirable outcomes in jealousy, especially reactive jealousy (p. 67). Jealousy, according to Knox & Schacht, is an indication that your partner cared for you and he/she doesn’t want to lose you. When presenting an article to the media, a complete information of the topic must be presented in order for the reader to vividly create a picture of the topic and enhance their critical thinking. The article did not include any citations or references that would would prove that the article is based from a solid research. The article would have been better if opinions from psychologists or inferences from a related research regarding jealousy were obtained. Citations and references is one of the determinants of a credible article. Without supporting evidences, the article is merely an opinionated or editorial essay. For instance, the book of Knox and Schacht entitled â€Å"Choices in Relationships: An Introduction to Marriage and the Family† introduced studies of 1,319 university students who considered themselves as jealous and interpreted jealousy using statistical analysis.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Aristotle Is The Highest Human Good - 1135 Words

Aristotle is a dichotomist, which means that he believes that human beings consist of two major elements, the body and the soul. The body is the physical matter that one can see, where the soul is the feelings and desires one has; the things you cannot touch. Aristotle believes that we have three major elements of the soul which are pleasures, desires, and feelings. These elements are where we find our virtues. In book one of The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses that virtue is the highest human good. This being said, there are two qualifications that the highest good must have, â€Å"The good must be something final and self-sufficient,† (Aristotle, 10). By final Aristotle means that which is in desirable in itself, and not sought for the sake of something else. By self-sufficient Aristotle means something that does not depend on other’s bestowing it. Aristotle gives us the sense that he believes that politics is about the human good and one cannot begin to pract ice politics or political science well; unless one has the idea of what the good actually is. In book one; with many arguments to support his theory, he tells the reader that the good is intellectual and moral virtue. One of his arguments is he believes that you need a moderate amount of both health and wealth to be able to fully develop the virtue. He sees these two aspects as a form of equipment because if one is constantly ill or does not have a sufficient amount of money there will be many obstacles in reachingShow MoreRelatedKant And Aristotle s Views On Ethics And Morals1480 Words   |  6 PagesAlyson Huttlin Professor Strom Philosophy 300 Class Section 1200 Recitation-Tuesday 10am 2/11/2015 What Is The Highest Good? Immanuel Kant and Aristotle are two of the most prominent philosophers on ethics and morals. Each has their own idea about human life and what the highest good is. It has even been said that in his Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals Kant disproves Aristotle’s view. In order to prove that Kant successfully disproves Aristotle’s theory, we must first understand both theoriesRead MoreSimilarities Between Aristotle And Aquinas1207 Words   |  5 Pages Both Aristotle and Aquinas were prominent philosophers who wrote profound works that discussed the concept of the highest human good and how humans can achieve it. In Aristotle’s, Nicomachean Ethics, the highest human good is a state of constant seeking knowledge as a way of achieving full capacity as a human. The writings of Aquinas are similar to Aristotle, but, in Treatise on Law, he discusses the type and elements of law. His discourse on law ultimately names the highest human good as beingRead MoreGreek Phil osophies Impact On The Early Development Of Christian Thought1348 Words   |  6 Pagesthen rationally evaluated. Theologists like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas both discovered the use of Aristotle in the formation of the Christian mind. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, believed that all humans had a purpose and that the purpose was for the greater good. However, the good life or the blessed life for Aquinas and Augustine was heaven. For Greek thinkers like Aristotle or even Plato, human actions derived from reason, rationality, and intellect. Christian thinkers like Augustine saw philosophicalRead MoreAristotle s Highest Good Theorem1037 Words   |  5 PagesAristotle’s Highest Good Theorem When Aristotle first published his work entitled â€Å"Nicomachean Ethics†, you can imagine that numerous philosophers, scholars, and ordinary citizens were deeply contemplating his idea of the Highest Good Through the actions of virtue and reason, the act contemplation satisfies Aristotle’s characteristics as the Highest Good Being a self-sufficient, and complete activity, the ability to understand our function as human beings through contemplation achieves the Highest GoodRead MoreAristotle s The Best Benefits For Human Beings946 Words   |  4 PagesIn Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle propose that everything has its own function, including human beings. By fulfilling that function in an excellent way, one can achieve Eudaimonia. The idea later becomes to be known as the Ergon argument. This paper is intending to argue for the ergon argument. Aristotle enquires the best benefits for human beings. First, he starts by saying that everything in natures has its own function. For example: the hammer’s function is to hammer the nail, or a tree’s functionRead MoreAristotles Eudaimonia1627 Words   |  7 Pagesin Greek. Aristotle argues that the highest good for human beings is happiness. He insists that every action performed by humans is to pursue happiness. Aristotle also argues that human action is always aimed at some end or good. This good may not be viewed as a good action or any good by others, but for the doer of the action (good), the activity will be perceived as good and that it will bring a favorable outcome. Aristotle also said that all of our actions resulting in ends or goods form a hierarchyRead MorePlato s A Good Life1393 Words   |  6 Pagesor not such life leads to happiness.† However, Plato didn’t seem to agree with Socrates on that, he argued that â€Å"the righteous life is no t only good in itself but also necessary condition of a happy life† The book Plato’s republic discusses about several important and fascinating theories of topics. Plato spends most of his time discussing about the â€Å"good life†, he appears to believe that a perfect life has to be managed under the perfect conditions. When you have a perfect life managed under theRead MoreThe Good Man Based on Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics Essay1069 Words   |  5 PagesThe Good Man Based on Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics Plato believed that a man could only become good by knowing the truth, and he could not know the truth without being good. This shows to be somewhat of a paradoxical argument. On the other hand, Aristotle had a different theory regarding the goodness of man. Aristotle claimed that the good man was the norm and the measure of ethical truth. Pertaining to Aristotles definitions, in this essay I will explain the meaning of the previous statementRead More Aristotle and Happiness of the Soul Essay724 Words   |  3 PagesEthics is that â€Å"human good turns out to be the soul’s activity that expresses virtue†(EN 1.7.1098a17). This conclusion can be explicated with Aristotle’s definitions and reasonings concerning good, activity of soul, and excellence through virtue; all with respect to happiness. Aristotle opens his argument with the statement: â€Å"the good has been well described as that at which everything aims†(1.1.1094a2). This premise means that all actions aim at an end that is good. Moreover, throughRead MoreAristotle s Views On God997 Words   |  4 Pageshow a person should live his/her life. Despite the agreeance that god is the highest being, the conflicting view between philosophers is on the way one should live his/her life of virtue. Through different perspectives, distinguishing good from bad is extremely difficult. Aristotle was not religious, did not think god was compassionate, and did not believe one would meet god himself in the â€Å"life after death†. Aristotle believed that being virtuous was why one should be moral as Aquinas believed that