Nicomachean Ethics: Aristotle's Outline Of A Good Life

Improved Essays
Aristotle wrote his ethical theory Nicomachean Ethics in 340 BC. Nicomachean ethics is centered around happiness. He believes that a good life is one that consists of virtues – both moral, such as courage, and intellectual, such as science – which leads to eudemonia, or happiness. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle designs an outline of a good life, and uses this outline to shape the common good. A good life, is one of virtue and happiness. In his design, Aristotle states that virtue is manifested through an individual’s actions. Aristotle contends that in order to obtain moral and intellectual virtues, reason and the aim of happiness must be in accordance. An aspect of virtuous living is practical reasoning, which is the ability to decipher …show more content…
He writes that the actions of virtue – which each individual chooses for the sake of achieving happiness, are subjective to the individual. All men regard a good life as one where happiness is the primary purpose (Aristotle, p. 1). While men of various statures agree that living well and success is connected to happiness, they all debate on the identity of happiness, giving different accounts (Aristotle, p.1). Happiness will be accounted by every person differently because it based on their necessities. For example, a sickly individual will find happiness in health, and a poverty-stricken individual will find happiness in wealth; whereas, a man, that is content in wealth and health would give another interpretation of happiness (Aristotle, …show more content…
When Aristotle spoke of particulars, he was referring to detail, he was stating that a man of practical wisdom pays attention to detail more so than the entirety of a condition. One must be able to detect the truth in all situations. In the beginning of his writing, Aristotle advises the reader to critically analyze the information s/he receives and releases. Aristotle states that during the lifetime of a virtuous and happy individual, s/he forms rational and practical decisions that are best for themselves and other human beings, as it will ultimately have an effect on the lives of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A Detailed Account of Aristotle’s Position on Happiness and why it is a Human Good According to Aristotle, happiness is an experience that is desired by all human beings. However, there are distinct views regarding what kind of life is considered happy. Aristotle provides readers with different types of lives that are believed to make people happy, including accumulation of wealth and a life of fulfillment that is characterized by comfort and pleasure. He also posits that a happy life is that which is pleasant.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Aristotle, character is defined by what outcomes or results use desire, the different types of actions we are enjoined to or prohibited from taking, and the habits we may be advised to cultivate within ourselves. For instance, we may feel obligated to pursue a life of duty through some sort of service, or we may feel concern for the public. The Greek ethical proposes, “What is good for man?”. Aristotle believes that ‘eudaimonia’, or happiness, is good for man.…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Even though Aristotle was not a direct student under Plato at The Academy, he became and developed into one of the most famous Greek philosophers. After his years spent at The Academy, Aristotle developed his moral of philosophy in his book the Nicomachean Ethics. In this book, Aristotle explains the origin, nature, and development of virtues, which are essential for achieving the best and highest good that human beings are capable of, which is happiness. According to Aristotle, happiness is defined as to live well and do well, where virtue is key, but alone it is not enough. In order to be happy, you need full virtue across a complete life, which means that you need to regularly perform all the virtues.…

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    But with many choices to make in ones persons lifetime, some of those choices will carry an immediate happiness or it can also cause and immediate devastation. Also their will be choices that will have a longer more painful route to happiness but at the end it will be for the greater good for ones happiness. Aristotle explains not only about happiness but also about virtue’s, now as explained virtues means having good purpose of morals and good character. Some explains of virtue are having generosity, friendship and also courage and as well the list goes on of virtues one can have. For virtues to be achieved one must make the correct…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    31). According to the philosopher, virtue is a ‘characteristic’ rather than as opposed to a ‘passion’ or ‘capacity’. This characteristic is determined by an individual’s choice. These choices must be determined in mean of wisdom and rationale, which is the implication in which it is labeled a virtue. In justification, an individual is permitted to act in accordance to a particular virtue that is most appropriate for the circumstances.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the Nicomachean Ethics, we are provided with Aristotle’s philosophy regarding the nature of virtue. He aims at explaining what virtue is, how it is acquired, and how it is related to both happiness (eudaimonia) and friendships. Overall, Aristotle is addressing the questions of: “What is a human being’s telos (purpose)?” and “What is the highest good?” It is by answering these questions that we will be able to see how Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is related to both Socrates and Epictetus’ philosophy, not to mention how it has contributed to my understanding of generosity, and virtue overall.…

    • 1649 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Virtue of thought is related to human reasoning, especially those regarding science and rationality. Virtue of character is a state, which is one’s perspective in relation to one’s own feelings, as in whether one is better or worse off due to them. A virtue is defined as such because Aristotle deduces that one ought not to be praised or blamed for having a certain feeling, or for being capable of having it; however, one can be praised or blamed for one’s reaction towards such feeling. Reacting poorly should incur in blame, while reacting nicely should incur in praise. Furthermore, a good state would need to be proportionate to the situation.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The ethical theories of both Aristotle and Epictetus, laid out in their books the Nicomachean Ethics and the Enchiridion, respectively, offer humanity insight into the most effective ways to achieve happiness and to exhibit virtue. Aristotle’s approach to happiness is that it must be looked at as the end to a means not as a means to an end. He feels that happiness should be viewed as the highest good within life. Although Epictetus agrees that happiness is the highest attainable good, he believes that the source of humanity’s misery is people’s inability to differentiate between what they can control and what they cannot. While both philosopher’s theories emphasize the importance of happiness and virtue in a person’s life, Epictetus’ view…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Aristotle’s take on ethics is much different from any other philosopher. His view of ethics is very vague, do as the just man would do and for the same reasons as him. In saying this, Aristotle would reject Robert Nozick’s experience machine thought experiment. Though Aristotle’s ethics allow for less conflict that would come from a theory that contains rules, it is a problem that it is not very clear what one should do to be moral. Aristotle’s ethics are virtue ethics.…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Aristotle has been a man of many words, syllables, and phrases. Always giving the community what it desires. Happiness is a fickle desire, however, because it comes and goes with every activity that is done. One can gain it in a simple instance and then lose it the next. Aristotle wrote “The Aim of Man” to show the different aims of good he believed were alive in the world.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Aristotle argues that certain things or conditions must be present to attain happiness, and in that “a certain sort of being-at-work of the soul in accordance with virtue” is required. I will argue that, for Aristotle, happiness cannot be the same as pleasure. However, we will see that happiness is importantly related to pleasure and pain, both in that the virtuous person comes to desire and finds satisfaction in acting virtuously, and in the sense that many of the virtues of character deal specifically with how we respond to our pleasures and pains. Since happiness is a certain way of being at work with virtues, Aristotle speaks of “virtues as pertaining either to thinking or to character”. Aristotle argues that all actions should point toward some good, as without virtue one cannot be happy, as the ability to be virtuous is unified within a good…

    • 1453 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The philosophers Aristotle and Augustine both wrote extensively on what they believed happiness was and how to achieve the good life. However, both prolific thinkers had differing opinions on achieve this goal. For example, Aristotle believed that the path to the good life was obtained through reason; whereas Augustine believed that it was obtained through Scripture and Divine Revelation because God’s grace helps one to achieve the good life, but reason alone is not enough to get that. In Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle shares his belief that the way to a good life, which he refers to as happiness, is achieved through reason.…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Aristotle’s basic view of ethics is that people do everything that they can for the sake of happiness and that the human virtues are those of the soul, not the body. His theory on virtues explores how morality, which is closely connected to our functions or purpose as human beings, involves obtaining good character traits, which create virtuous individuals. Aristotle’s virtue theory claims that activities have values and specify that it is required for humans to assign a specific character trait to activities depending on the differences of the activities to create a predetermined value. A virtue is a habit or an acquired human quality of character that allows humans to achieve personal happiness while vices are the opposite and ruin an individual 's chances and goals of achieving personal happiness. While the main motive of consideration for the utilitarian is the consequence of direct actions, the people are the primary object of consideration in the virtue theory. .…

    • 1664 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Contrasting Plato’s theory of Dualism , Aristotle explains that the body and mind are one thing that cannot be separated. Aristotle claims that motion is eternal. Introducing us the idea of happiness, Aristotle questions what we do to make our life good or something that makes us be alive. He states that the psyche or soul part of our life like happiness consists a good life for humans.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Assignment 5: Long Paper 1 According to Aristotle, the best life to live is a life of pursuing knowledge. Not only pursuing it but understanding it too. Virtue is a very important aspect that one needs to consider when trying to live an all around good life. As a writer named Christine puts it: Like others before him, such as Socrates and Plato, Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who was interested in the best way to live a good life and to cultivate virtue.…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays