Ⅰ．Introduction: Alexandria and Aristotle

Aristotle taught Alexander the Great when Alexander was young and not yet the King of Macedonia. From Aristotle, Alexander absorbed doctrines of ethics and politics, and his vision of an ideal city was thus influenced by Aristotelian philosophy, as written by Plutarch, “Alexander not only received from his master his ethical and political doctrines but also participated in those secret teachings which philosophers designate by the term ‘acroamatic’ and ‘epoptic’”.

Alexandria in Pharos, abbreviated in this essay as Alexandria, was one of the most important contributions of Alexander. To perfect Alexandria,Alexander and many Macedonian leaders participated in the process of design and construction, which suggests a likelihood that Alexander put his ideals and principles into the details of the founding of Alexandria.Because Alexander formed his worldviews under the tutorship of Aristotle,it is worthwhile to further speculate the influence of Aristotle's Philosophy on Alexandria. Moreover, since Alexandria is the only physical legacy of Alexander that persists, examining Alexandria provides an example for scholars to study how Aristotle's doctrines are realized.

Although the archaeological evidence is absent, historical records are available, and indirectly reflect Alexander's thinking when founding the city. Therefore, it is legitimate to investigate the influence of Aristotle by analyzing and evaluating these historical records, so as to reach a conclusion.

This essay argues that Alexandria reflected Aristotle's philosophy of “eudaimonia.” To be specific, Alexandria emphasized authority and provided education: both characteristics were associated with Aristotle's view of eudaimonia. Moreover, this essay wants to discredit the challenge that Alexandria was a lavish city that focused merely on physical pleasures.In contrast, economic with flourishment did not contradict with Aristotle's doctrine of eudaimonia.