Nicomachean Ethics

One of the most talkative, debated and augured topics among numerous psychologists and philosophers and in classrooms is the very known nature verses nurture debate. Or heredity verses environment in simpler terms. The nature verses nurture debate is whether if the way you act is based on genetic qualities, heredity, or if the environment you were born into had an effect on your upbringing and personality. Some debate that it’s nature, born good, and other debate nurture, made evil. Aristotle,…

Human nature is a theory that’s been a debated for centuries upon centuries. Philosophers have argued the concept for as long humans have been on this earth. Perhaps none the wiser than Plato, Socrates and Aristotle .The seemingly underlying truth is that there are characteristics; thinking, acting, feeling. That we all experience consciously or sub-consciously that make humans do the things that they do. The search for human nature is nothing more than the search of universal truths and…

We can not be good, but we can perceive good. In the following of excellence we will all invariably miss the mark, because when dealing with “the good” the mark is infinitely small. After all “excellence” is ongoing, an approach to perfection. The question: Why should we be good? Is asking why take a shot at all. Why should we (in the broadest sense) be good (follow our own perceived path to excellence, God 's kingdom, prestige etc.) Because the efforts we make toward our own individual good…

Human beings are often misunderstood because of the various beliefs that each possesses. Whether it is a view that happiness comes from material things or whether it comes from non-material things, live in care for your soul. Both Plato and Aristotle have their respective views on the way that they believe is the greatest of human beings. Plato takes the approach that is contemplative which the main point is that theory and intellectual contemplation of ultimate truths are best in life.…

Nicomachean Ethics: Why Friendship is Essential and Not Fickle In book VIII of Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle expounds upon the concept of friendship. In order to understand all that Aristotle means by friendship one must first know that there are three categories of friendship: friendship of utility, friendship of pleasure, and the perfect friendship. After analyzing the paradigms of each of these relationships he comes to the conclusion that friendship is crucial to life. He declares: “For…

How does an individual know he/she is following the right path in life to achieve happiness? Anne Frank once wrote, “Parents can only give good advice or put children on the right path, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands” (Anne Frank). Almost every parent wishes to raise a successful child so his/her child will learn how to be good, and the child will continue to teach their children how to be good as well. Aristotle believed goodness is attained through a…

In engineering, there are several necessary virtues or excellences needed to flourish in their respective fields. This paper will highlight Aristotle’s understanding of eudaimonia (happiness), arête (virtue), and telos (a final cause or end). Aristotle also makes a distinction between two types of virtues, thought and character. Expanding upon these two, the virtue of thought is described to be about wisdom, comprehension, and intelligence. Whereas, the virtue of character is said to be about…

We live in a world where our possessions are a symbol of success. The bigger the car the louder that speaks about your bank account. Most people buy things as just something to do here in America. We are a particularly wasteful society. There is an uneven distribution of wealth and the poor can live right in the same neighborhood as the ultra rich. Most of the people here plan their lives around what will make them successful. They use the word success as a way of saying “well off enough to buy…

We hold many values in our lives today, but by far friendship remains the most significant. A good friendship includes honesty, loyalty, sincerity and most importantly trusting each other. Trusting each other in a friendship remains crucial because it shows reliability and confidence between two people. This helps friends become closer and feel more safe. In the play Romeo and Juliet and the book Digital Fortress, the significant relationship of friendship exists through trust. Within the…

general principles and forms conclusions. From an ethical standpoint, to evaluate what is good, we must begin with moral judgements before general principles can be reached. Happiness, Aristotle argues, is a complete and sufficient good (Aristotle 's Ethics). This means that happiness is desired only for itself, that the sake of nothing else is the reason for desiring it, that it is without evils, and it satisfies all desire. In this logic, moral virtue is not the end of life, that for which all…