What are the similarities and differences between the concept of the good and the ethical philosophies of Aristotle and Kant and Levinas?

Answer 1

The question is much too broad to be answered on the internet (It sounds like an paper question). I would check out Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Generally - In terms of Aristotle's conception of the good, he believed it was done for the sake of itself. For example - Medicine is done for the sake of health, strategy for victory, but the chief good, the highest good, this is done only for the sake of itself. For reference, Nichomachean Ethics, Book I, Chapter 7. Aristotle's ethical philosophy is widespread, much like his work, and combines ethics with politics - the ethical life is one lived with other people, friends, and in practice of virtues. This can only be done in a political community. He believed in virtue ethics, the idea that an excellent person is one who has certain virtues - courage, temperance, etc. These virtues were to be practiced and exercised through practical wisdom (application of virtues in life.) The highest good was, in his mind, the study of philosophy - which is what we all should aim for (though not forgetting the other virtues.) (Nico Ethics - Book 6 Chapter 13)

Levinas and Kant require lots of research and I don't think I can do them justice in comparing and contrasting them here. I am in now way qualified to talk on Kant, but I shall briefly mention that Kant believed in a categorical imperative - an action is just if we can apply it universally.

Levinas (again, this is quite rough)- His idea was that we have a certain worldview (following in the tradition of Heidegger (though staunchly against Heidegger) and 20th century continental philosophy) and this worldview is restricting, it makes everything around us part of us! But the Other, let us say your neighbor, another human being, these people are not part of us. They are something wholly different and separate, if we let them (a point of contention - how one might let the Other invade us...it is unknown, but the Other does invade some people) then we see in the Other the idea of the infinity - this idea leads us, calls us, to action, to ethical action. Levinas, along with Aristotle, believed in political action as ethical action. There are some connections here, but there are LOTS of differences, for a big part, just different frameworks that they are working in.

Hope that helped, sorry for the rambling (Levinas is hard to describe without rambling...). I'm no expert on any of these philosophers, so do your own research (Stanford Encyclopedia, etc.) and good luck!