Final answer:
Aristotle believed that the government should foster certain virtues within its citizens and not remain neutral concerning personal moral convictions, contrasting with later liberal philosophy advocating for the separation of state and personal morality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The direct answer to the question is b. False:
Aristotle did not argue that public laws must remain neutral concerning personal moral convictions; rather, he believed that a good government should foster certain virtues in its citizens.
According to Aristotle, the function of a state is not to remain neutral on matters of virtue but to cultivate a virtuous citizenry. He proposed that the government should play an active role in this process by influencing various aspects of society, such as family life, education, and media. Aristotle's views are in contrast with the later liberal philosophy, which typically advocates for the separation of government from questions of personal morality. This is also different from the natural law theory of Thomas Aquinas, which posited that human laws must be in harmony with natural law, deemed as objective and tied to rationality. While Aquinas believed in a divine order given by God to nature, Aristotle saw the moral order as coming from the natural, rational, and social facets of human life, without necessarily requiring belief in a divine being. Critics of natural law argue that it's difficult to deduce moral laws from human nature itself, given the diversity of behaviors influenced by environment and evolution.