Nicomachean Ethics Leading a Virtuous Life - 880 Words

Nicomachean Ethics (APA Citation) From the beginning of their evolution, human beings have been searching for the meaning of happiness. While many may see this to be an inconsequential question, others have devoted entire lives to the search for happiness. One such person who devoted a great deal of thought to the question of mans happiness was the famous ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle. In his book The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discussed the meaning of happiness and what it meant to live a good life. He asserted that the devise which has been invented to create what is good for man is called politics; and it uses the rest of the sciences ¦so that this end must be the good for man. (Aristotle, I, ii) Aristotle also identified four general means by which people live their lives in order to gain happiness, but stated that only one was a means by which a person could actually attain it. According to Aristotle, it was not political power, wealth, or worldly pleasures by which a person could achieve real happi ness, it was living a contemplative life. Politics may have been the tool by which man creates good, but politics does not mean the same thing as living a political life. Aristotle claimed that those who engaged in a political life do so out of vanity in order to gain personal honor. Because this only serves to inflate a single persons ego, this is considered to be an empty and vain course of action. Two other ways of life that Aristotle believed wereShow MoreRelatedVirtues Of Happiness Moral Ethics856 Words   |  4 PagesVirtues of Happiness Moral Ethics An individual’s virtue ethics does not depend on the society that they live in, the spirituality that they follow, or their culture/upbringing; but they depend exclusively on the individuals themselves. Aristotle introduced moral ethics theory in his Nicomachean Ethics books. The idea of ethics is questioning long term goals, ‘what sort of person do I want to be’ instead of instantaneous decisions that question ‘what should I do in this situation?’ Virtues areRead MoreAristotles Philosophy on Purpose Essay884 Words   |  4 Pagesimpressive. His greatest known works are the Athenian Constitution and Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s works of Ethics explore a vast area of topics. He states, â€Å"The goal of the Ethics is to determine how best to achieve happiness.† In order to achieve happiness, one must live a virtuous life, in the mind of Aristotle. Interest is sparked in this area that Aristotle writes of because there is a natural need for Ethics in human life. John K. Roth states, â€Å"Aristotle assumes that all things, human beingsRead MoreEssay on Happiness in Aristotle’s work: The Nicomachean Ethics629 Words   |  3 PagesAristotle’s work, The Nicomachean Ethics, consists of numerous books pertaining to Aristotle’s Ethics—the ethics of the good life. The first book discloses Aristotle’s belief on moral philosophy and the correlation between virtue and happiness. The definition of happiness has long been disputed. According to Aristotle, happiness is the highest good and the ultimate end goal—for it is self-reliant. This idea contradicted other common beliefs and philosophical theories. Aristotle opens his work byRead MoreAristotle And Aristotle On Friendship1480 Words   |  6 PagesIn work his work The Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle addresses the question: what is the good life? Aristotle acknowledges that the generally accepted notion of the human good is happiness or, alternatively put, eudaimonia. The difficulty surrounding the age old question, and the topic that Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics primarily addresses, is not what we call the human good, but rather how happiness is defined and what contributes to a good, eudaimonic, flourishing life. Aristotle writes that happinessRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucius And Confucius1391 Words   |  6 Pagesviewed friendship as virtuous and trustworthy of friends who obtained the character of each other. According to Aristotle and Confucius full virtue essential has to be perfectly harmonious in which friends are completely agreed to share their life. This helped them to live a happy life that brings joy, justice, and harmony among friends and society. For Aristotle stated â€Å"The perfect form of friendship is that between good men who are alike in excellence or virtue†( Nicomachean Ethics VIII.ch.3). AristotleRead MoreThomas Hobbes And The Leviathan And Nicomachean Ethics1602 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Hobbes and Aristotle address the role that governments have in the promotion of good virtue amongst their citizens in The Leviathan and Nicomachean Ethics. The authors offer ideas along similar lines. This is in regards to the belief that Hobbes and Aristotle hold, which is that governments do have a role in promoting good morals and leading a virtuous life; Hobbes by sovereignty and Aristotle through means of reaching telos. Thomas Hobbes†™ position is made in The Leviathan, in which he arguesRead MoreKant And Aristotle s Views On Ethics And Morals1480 Words   |  6 PagesAlyson Huttlin Professor Strom Philosophy 300 Class Section 1200 Recitation-Tuesday 10am 2/11/2015 What Is The Highest Good? Immanuel Kant and Aristotle are two of the most prominent philosophers on ethics and morals. Each has their own idea about human life and what the highest good is. It has even been said that in his Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals Kant disproves Aristotle’s view. In order to prove that Kant successfully disproves Aristotle’s theory, we must first understand both theoriesRead MoreThere Are Several Similarities Between Aristotle And Confucius1499 Words   |  6 Pagesa relationship between virtuous and trustworthy friends who understand each other s character.   According to Aristotle and Confucius, virtue is essential when friends   are able to share their lives with one another during the time of fortune and misfortunes.   For this leads them to live happily, joyfully, and harmoniously as friends. Aristotle posited that, â€Å"The perfect form of friendship is that between good men who are alike in excellence or virtue† ( Nicomachean Ethics VIII. ch .3(1156b(10). ConfuciusRead MoreAristotle Virtue Ethics Summary1075 Words   |  5 PagesAristotle outlined his theory of Virtue Ethics in his book Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle focused his idea of ethics on agents rather than acts. His main idea is focused on the idea of human character- how can you be a better person? In fact, Aristotle once said: â€Å"For we are enquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good, since otherwise our enquiry would be of no use.† Aristotle is given the credit for developing the idea of virtue ethics, but many of Platos cardinal valuesRead MoreAristotle s Philosophy And Ethics972 Words   |  4 Pagesrespected and well-known Greek philosopher, who studied both science and ethics in abundant detail. When someone famous like that writes his thoughts down on paper, and has great advice for you in your life, you tend to pay attention. In Aristotle’s papers, the Nicomachean Ethics: he defines virtue as â€Å"s tates of character acquired through habituation, through acting repeatedly in the way that a virtuous person would act, until virtuous action becomes second nature† (Aristotle, 1999). I love the way he