On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Dr. Chelsea C. Harry, a Professor of Philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University, gave a talk titled “The Concept of Living Well in Aristotle’s Zoology.” The public event was part of the philosophy department’s ongoing Philosopher’s Holiday Lecture series, which features guest speakers presenting their research and on other philosophical areas of speciality.
Professor of Philosophy Bryan Van Norden delivered an introduction to the presentation, noting how he met Harry at a Confucius-Aristotle Symposium. In addition to her academic background, Van Norden highlighted Harry’s involvement with the American Philosophical Association and her work as founder and director of Philosophy in the Schools New Haven.
In a written correspondence with The Miscellany News, Harry described her appreciation for a plurality of philosophical traditions: “While I remained interested in ancient Greek thought, I discovered an interest in the interpretation of ancient Greek themes in 19th-20th century German thought. From here, I became interested in the intersection of classical non-Western thought with German thought.” Her studies later led to a dissertation on temporality in Aristotle and F.W.J. Schelling, a key figure of German Idealism. Resultantly, the lecture combined Harry’s range of passions in Aristotle, the expansion of the philosophical canon and implications for current-day problems of climate change.
Connective constellations between antiquity and contemporaneity began forming early on in Harry’s philosophical education. After enrolling in “The Concept of Self in Western Thought” as a freshman undergraduate, Harry mentioned how Plato’s “Republic” became a favorite text from the class. “I enjoyed the academic challenge of reading Plato’s text, but, more importantly, it opened my mind to the roots of our modern ideas in ancient Greek thought.”
The bulk of Harry’s presentation demonstrated how Aristotle’s ancient zoological work remains relevant to modern audiences, even after centuries of change or overhaul in our scientific conception of the world. Harry began with an examination of eudaimonia, or flourishing, in Aristotle’s ethical thought. Within the “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle argues that living well for humans involves exercising our contemplative, intellectual capacity. This led into Harry’s main question: Does Aristotle have a conception of “living well” as it regards non-humans? If so, how might it be relevant to us today?
When scholars rely strictly on the “Nicomachean Ethics,” Harry mentioned a general conclusion being that animals cannot achieve full human eudaimonia due to their non-human capabilities. What, then, can one say about animals’ unique capacities for flourishing? Owing to the limits of the aforementioned account, Harry’s scholarship examined these concerns by turning towards a greater variety of Aristotle’s writings, including “De Anima” and naturalist texts like “Parts of Animals” and “History of Animals.”
In her reading, Harry picked up on phrases resembling eudaimonia in Aristotle’s commentary on animals, like “with regard to living well,” “lives well,” “does well” and “thriving,” echoing the discussion of human flourishing. Despite possessing different capabilities, Aristotle still claims animals have a soul in “De Anima.” Like humans, they possess sensory functions related to desire, serving as a means to continued existence and the pursuit of their well-being. Living well is achieved with regard to naturally-endowed capacities—the speed of a cheetah, for instance, allows them to flourish in their own right. In their attempts to thrive, animals can achieve a quality of life over and above mere existence. If they are unable to exercise their natural character through sensuous or perceptual avenues, physical harm is indicated by traits like color or plumage, as discussed by “History of Animals.”
Promoting the quality of animal life also has the potential to enrich our own, giving us common ground to join other world thought traditions. Compared to the legacy of thinkers like René Descartes—who likened animals to “machines”—pre-modern thought can offer corrective measures to philosophical anthropocentrism. Descartes’ conceptual legacy was noted as being especially prevalent in Western thought. Even if Aristotle was not necessarily making a strictly ethical claim about animal life, Harry claimed his theory can be recovered when articulating an approach to current ethical problems surrounding environmental sustainability. As the anthropogenic climate change crisis progresses, animals’ ability to live well will continue to be impacted by human action, described in detail by Aristotelian philosopher Martha Nassbaum’s “Justice for Animals.” In modernizing ancient thought, Harry asserted that we could utilize its viewpoints to begin rectifying our current moral failings as they relate to animal life.
On her end, this claim has not gone unrealized. Harry wrote to The Miscellany News: “In 2023, I was first invited to join the United Nations Development Solutions Network symposia on ancient wisdom in contemporary times, which has given me a new outlet to think and write about the role of ancient philosophy in addressing our most significant global issues, like climate change.”
After her talk concluded, Harry answered a variety of student and faculty questions surrounding topics like non-moving animals, invasive species and artificial environments. The event’s two-hour long duration was split between each portion. Her responses demonstrated a careful concern for each inquiry, often involving extended back-and-forth discussion. Harry frequently posed her own questions towards the other speaker, directly asking what they thought; as a result, conversation remained lively.
As a whole, I found the talk to be convincing and clearly articulated, especially regarding its presentation of direct evidence. Ancient thinkers are often ignored or scoffed at, owing to our current understanding of scientific investigation. However, drawing from the “outdated” can be, in pressing times, a new way forward, especially when dominant conceptions of animal life fail to achieve sustainable results. We could still stand to learn something from Aristotle.