Aristotle on Helping the Poor

Abstract

I was primarily interested in what Aristotle thought about the reasons for helping others, whether he considered it possible to help from altruistic motives, and what he thought about the right measure and way of helping. I examined three interdependent topics of Aristotle: community, liberality and friendship. These topics illuminate the same issue from various angles, and give a unified picture of the relationship between the individual and the community, the individual and another person, and about the different aspects one takes into consideration while helping others. Additionally, I drew some comparisons between the Aristotelian view and other ancient conceptions.