Jesha C. Lor
Dr. Arbo
Intro to Philosophy TR-9:30-10:45 a.m.
11/5/15
Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Books I & II Recitation In book one of Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle, Aristotle begins with a hypothesis that he tests, which is, “The Good is that at which all things (including people) aim (what they seek). He goes to the core question, “what is it for something to be an ‘end’ of action”, to test out his hypothesis. Aristotle then explains that if there is some end that we seek for its own sake and not as a means to some other end, then clearly that end must be to be the highest good. He further explains that, there surely must be such a good; otherwise we would be seeking each thing for the sake of some other never seeking anything for itself and thus never …show more content…
As Aristotle continues to explain ‘the highest good’, he goes into the study of politics in chapter three. The study of politics as explained is the study of the highest good for man. It is referred to as, “the mark of the educated man and a proof of his culture that in every subject he looks for only so much precision as its nature permits.” Next, Aristotle then asks the question “what, then, is the highest good”, and renames highest good as happiness. Methodology is then discussed. He states that, to find the highest good, we must begin with the evidence we have and move from that to first principles, not the other way around. In chapter five, he begins to look into the lives of people and the way they lead it. He explained that, we can discover a clue as to what they take to be good. He discovered that there were many different things that people seek, some seek pleasure, some seek honor and some seek virtue as for others, money. However, above all these things that they sought, nothing will ever be enough. Aristotle next criticizes Plato’s theory of forms. Plato’s theory of form suggests that there is a single Form of Good and that all good things are good in the same way. At the
Dr. Arbo
Intro to Philosophy TR-9:30-10:45 a.m.
11/5/15
Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Books I & II Recitation In book one of Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle, Aristotle begins with a hypothesis that he tests, which is, “The Good is that at which all things (including people) aim (what they seek). He goes to the core question, “what is it for something to be an ‘end’ of action”, to test out his hypothesis. Aristotle then explains that if there is some end that we seek for its own sake and not as a means to some other end, then clearly that end must be to be the highest good. He further explains that, there surely must be such a good; otherwise we would be seeking each thing for the sake of some other never seeking anything for itself and thus never …show more content…
As Aristotle continues to explain ‘the highest good’, he goes into the study of politics in chapter three. The study of politics as explained is the study of the highest good for man. It is referred to as, “the mark of the educated man and a proof of his culture that in every subject he looks for only so much precision as its nature permits.” Next, Aristotle then asks the question “what, then, is the highest good”, and renames highest good as happiness. Methodology is then discussed. He states that, to find the highest good, we must begin with the evidence we have and move from that to first principles, not the other way around. In chapter five, he begins to look into the lives of people and the way they lead it. He explained that, we can discover a clue as to what they take to be good. He discovered that there were many different things that people seek, some seek pleasure, some seek honor and some seek virtue as for others, money. However, above all these things that they sought, nothing will ever be enough. Aristotle next criticizes Plato’s theory of forms. Plato’s theory of form suggests that there is a single Form of Good and that all good things are good in the same way. At the