Eudaimonia And Virtue In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

In Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle has an inner debate over this question creating many theories, but he ultimately comes to the conclusion that Eudaimonia is a goal that all humans should aim for. The best way to achieve this goal is through the characters of virtue. Eudaimonia is thought to mean happiness, but in this case it means to thrive or to flourish and it can be accomplished when a person attains happiness or success in all aspects of their life. During Aristotle’s lifetime all people are implied to be only 30% of the population. Social class, gender play, and luck play a huge role in the effort to reach Eudaimonia. Eudaimonia restricts about 70% of the population is Greece. This is group is made up of slaves and woman. For one to reach Eudaimonia they must thrive in all aspects of their …show more content…
A slave's job is to listen and work for their master and a woman's job is to stay at home and take care of the family. Also another obstacle is being born into the right family. This is where luck comes into play. For example, two babies could be born in the same town and one of them will not live the good life. This is due to one's family, upbringing and the neighborhood in which they are born. If a little boy's parents fail to teach him to be hard working, have virtues, or go to school to find out what comes naturally to him then he will fall behind and will never reach Eudaimonia. This begs the question, is the good life self wrought or is it just luck? Although Aristotle never directly says this, but by analyzing his criteria, it is obvious to tell that luck is how one obtains the good life. One cannot choose who their parents are and if they are virtuous or where they live because it is all predetermined. If you are not born with these circumstances, it is almost impossible to attain the good life because you do not have a mentor to guide you in the right