It is important to understand the fact that a city can reach the ideal state of virtue only if all of the citizens living in it are virtuous. Therefore the main focus is directed towards the individuals. Under thee circumstances being virtuous means performing the specific tasks that one has. Aristotle on the other hand is more concerned with happiness. He ha established the fact that happiness is the ultimate goal that one can achieve and he is concerned with which are the best ways in order to achieve it. He manages to provide people with a sort of prescription for reaching happiness which lies in the expression of reason. If a person fulfils his function in the best manner in which he can that this is bound to lead him to happiness. The arguments might seem similar through the fact that they both underline the importance of reason, happiness and morality. The main difference resides in the very manner in which the function is conceived and perceived. For Plato the most important dimension of this function is the deliberative one. In other words the individual has the role to take care of things around him after he has understood what the right path is. A decision based on profound understanding is based by a course of action. Aristotle on the other hand claims that the function of men is that of performing actions which express reason. The most profound difference is actually the focus upon which each of the philosophers concentrate. Plato focuses on the place that the individual has in society. This place and his responsibilities turn him into a citizen, a member of a community. The actions of ruing and deliberating etc. are applied within the community- which represents the most important context. The individual is analyzed and defined in relation to this context. Since the individual is analyzed and defined in relation to a community the strongest implication is that the individuals are connected to each other. They depend on each other and therefore they have a...

They have a duty towards ach other in order to make the system work. Once the system is virtuous, that is, once the city functions well, this means that its components, the people are happy too.
There is no such interest regarding the community and the relationship of the individual to the other individuals in Aristotle's approach. His perspective is focused on the individual alone. The reason for which his actions must express reason are connected only to his own well being and the entire concept has nothing to do with the community. Therefore it could be stated that whilst both philosophers are concerned with concepts such as happiness's reason and the human function, these very concepts are conceptualized in different ways. This is not the only difference. The very goals of the thinkers under discussion differs therefore giving birth to different perspectives.

There are many differences that one could discuss when analyzing the philosophical systems of Plat and Aristotle. However, the stake is not to determine which of them was right and which philosophy is better than the other. If happiness is our ultimate goal then we might be tempted to believe that but we must bear in mind the fact that society changes and the standards regarding both happiness and morality change as well. Under these circumstances one can do nothing else but acknowledge the merits of both Plato and Aristotle.

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Ergon: Plato vs. Aristotle, retrieved February 5, 2010 from http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/rar/PvA.htm

Plato vs. Aristotle, Free essays, retrieved February 5, 2010 from http://hubpages.com/hub/Plato-vs.-Aristotle

Plato vs. Aristotle: The classic philosophical duel, retrieved February 5, 2010 from http://thecriticalthinker.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/plato-vs.-aristotle/

Plato vs. Aristotle, Free essays, retrieved February 5, 2010 from http://www.freeessays.cc/db/35/peh73.shtml