Kenneth McIntyre, ‘Only a Man Harrowing Clods’—Wendell Berry’s The Unsettling of America

It is a great irony, then, that the most compelling critique of Berry’s work comes not from contemporary proponents of perpetual progress but instead from some of the classical sources which nourish his own work. For Aristotle, the natural end of human activity is contemplation of the beautiful, the good, and the true, and the prerequisite for such contemplation is leisure. Indeed, the distinction between work, which is inherently practical, and contemplation, which is concerned with the intrinsic value of things, is central to classical philosophy.

Of course, the Aristotelian understanding of leisure refers to time spent in study and contemplation, not time spent on the golf course with a six-pack. However, despite Berry’s exceptional gift for combining the active life with the contemplative, for most human beings, the leisure necessary to achieve the contemplation of the true and the good requires leaving the farm for the library or the monastery. Thus, the real dilemma that Berry’s work presents lies not in choosing between a sterile and fragmented liberalism, which he rightly derides, and a more nourishing and unified agrarian ideal, but instead consists of the perennial struggle to balance the necessary and fundamental value of proper work with the indispensable because essential task to become more fully human through the contemplation of the permanent things.

I believe Mr. Berry recognizes the importance of leisure, and he may even agree that ultimately, work is for the sake of leisure and that work and leisure are not equally important ends. But as for the criticism that he is not Aristotelian enough--I don't see that is a problem, if Mr. Berry is an orthodox Christian. He does not talk much about his brand of Christianity, or of his prayer life. Is Aristotelian contemplation the best activity we can aspire to in this life? Or is this something greater, given to us by God Himself?

It seems to me that Mr. McIntyre is too enthusiastic about the Aristotelian account of man's ultimate end. I would argue that not even Aquinas accepted Aristotle on this point of his ethics.