What is Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle in summary?

What is Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle in summary?

Lesson Summary The Nicomachean Ethics by the Greek philosopher Aristotle considers the nature of human action and ethics, rooted in the concept of eudaimonia, often translated as happiness. However, it means the highest good, that which humans seek for its own sake and not for the sake of something else.

What is the main point of Nicomachean Ethics?

The goal of the Ethics is to determine how best to achieve happiness. This study is necessarily imprecise, since so much depends on particular circumstances. Happiness depends on living in accordance with appropriate virtues. Virtue is a disposition rather than an activity.

What does Aristotle say about happiness in Nicomachean Ethics?

Happiness (or flourishing or living well) is a complete and sufficient good. This implies (a) that it is desired for itself, (b) that it is not desired for the sake of anything else, (c) that it satisfies all desire and has no evil mixed in with it, and (d) that it is stable.

Why happiness is the greatest virtue for Aristotle?

The Pursuit of Happiness as the Exercise of Virtue. According to Aristotle, happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole lifetime, all the goods — health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc. — that lead to the perfection of human nature and to the enrichment of human life.

Is happiness the end to which all our actions aim as Aristotle argues?

According to Aristotle, happiness is the only end or good that we desire for its own sake, and it is for the sake of happiness that we desire all other ends or goods.

Why is pleasure not the highest good?

According to Aristotle, pleasure is not the aim of every human action, because not every pleasure is good. (Remember, the highest good is intrinsically good). The pleasure which is found in some forms of activity may be good, and the pleasure which is found in other forms of activity may be bad.

Why does Aristotle say happiness is the highest good?

Happiness is according to Aristotle the highest good because it is something final,end of the action and self-sufficient. We choose it for itself, not for the sake of something else.

What is the bent stick remedy?

The Bent Stick Remedy. Aristotle’s notion that incontinent people must attempt a complete reversal of their current character traits to ultimately end up in the middle. Disordered. feelings, such as envy, and some actions, such as murder, are bad by nature and do not become good by being felt or performed in moderation …

What is the difference between the incontinent and the vicious person?

The vicious person thinks he ought to do the bad things, follows through, and enjoys it. The incontinent (weak-willed, akratic) person at least initially thinks he ought not do them, but then is pained by the deprivation and gives in.

How does Aristotle achieve happiness?

According to Aristotle, happiness consists in achieving, through the course of a whole lifetime, all the goods — health, wealth, knowledge, friends, etc. — that lead to the perfection of human nature and to the enrichment of human life. This requires us to make choices, some of which may be very difficult.

Why is pleasure not the highest good Aristotle?

Yet others say that pleasure cannot be the supreme good, since it is not an end in itself, but a process. Aristotle responds that pleasure is an activity, hence an end, not a process.

What is virtue according to Nicomachean Ethics?

Virtue is a matter of having the appropriate attitude toward pain and pleasure. For example, a coward will suffer undue fear in the face of danger, whereas a rash person will not suffer sufficient fear.

What does the word Nicomachean mean?

September 2021) The Nicomachean Ethics (/ˌnaɪkɒməˈkiən/; /ˌnɪkəməˈkiən/; Ancient Greek: Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια, Ēthika Nikomacheia) is Aristotle’s best-known work on ethics, the science of the good for human life, which is the goal or end at which all our actions aim.