What is the purpose of the Nicomachean Ethics? Nicomachean Ethics is a philosophical inquiry into the nature of the good life for a human being. Aristotle begins the work by positing that there exists some ultimate good toward which, in the final analysis, all human actions ultimately aim.
What are non philosophical approaches to ethics?
- Epicureanism
- Skepticism
- Stoicism
What are some examples of good ethics?
Why is ethics in business important?
- Ensuring legal operations. A code of ethics enforces a set of regulations and rules with the intent to keep the company operating within the parameters of the law, which protects ...
- Building trust between companies and consumers. ...
- Appealing to shareholders. ...
- Attracting high-performing talent. ...
What are non religious ethics?
Secular ethics frameworks are not always mutually exclusive from theological values. For example, the Golden Rule or a commitment to non-violence, could be supported by both religious and secular frameworks. Secular ethics systems can also vary within the societal and cultural norms of a specific time period.
What does Nicomachean mean?
nicomachean: Of or pertaining to some ancient Greek named Nicomachus; particularly, either
What is Aristotle trying to say in Nicomachean Ethics?
Aristotle's claim that virtue can be learned only through constant practice implies that there are no set rules we can learn and then obey. Instead, virtue consists of learning through experience what is the mean path, relative to ourselves, between the vices we may be liable to stumble into.
What good means in Nicomachean Ethics?
Aristotle defines the supreme good as an activity of the rational soul in accordance with virtue. Virtue for the Greeks is equivalent to excellence. A man has virtue as a flautist, for instance, if he plays the flute well, since playing the flute is the distinctive activity of a flautist.
What is the conclusion of Nicomachean Ethics?
In other words, at the conclusion of the Ethics, Aristotle states that the contemplative life he prescribes does not require seclusion, but in fact demands that the philosopher engage in politics in order to make excellence the common possession of all men.
What are the main points of Aristotle's ethics?
In order for one to be virtuous they must display prudence, temperance, courage, and justice; moreover, they have to display all four of them and not just one or two to be virtuous.
Is Nicomachean Ethics a theory?
Ethics, as now separated out for discussion by Aristotle, is practical rather than theoretical, in the original Aristotelian senses of these terms. In other words, it is not only a contemplation about good living, because it also aims to create good living.
What is Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and the good life?
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 is Aristotle ethics called Nicomachean?
The title of Aristotle's treatise on ethics, The Nicomachean Ethics, derives from the name of his father and his son, Nicomachus.
What are Aristotle's virtues in Nicomachean Ethics?
Aristotle identified two virtues in his Nicomachean Ethics: virtue of thought, especially wisdom, and virtue of character. Examples of virtue of ch...
What is the main idea of Nicomachean Ethics?
The main idea of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics is eudaimonia , sometimes translated as 'happiness.' However, a better way to think of what Arist...
Nicomachean Ethics Summary
The Nicomachean Ethics by the Greek philosopher Aristotle is one of the earliest treatises on the nature of good actions or ethics. The title derives from either Aristotle's father, Nicomachus, or his son, also named Nicomachus.
Moral Responsibility in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
Humans are morally responsible for their actions because they voluntarily control their behavior and, as rational beings, are aware of what they do. However, to be morally responsible, humans must be free to choose a course of action without coercion, and they must be aware of their actions as ethical choices.
Pleasure and Politics in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
Any Aristotle ethics summary must include a reflection on the three lives that humans are drawn to. He writes, 'There are roughly three most favored lives, the lives of gratification, of political activity, and third, of study.' The best life, according to Aristotle, is the pursuit of the contemplative life, the life of a philosopher.
What is the purpose of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics?
In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle notes that as a condition to be held morally responsible, we must have been acting voluntarily. In particular, two elements must be true: a person must be in control of their actions and also must be aware of what they're doing.
What is the ultimate goal of Aristotle's philosophy of ethics?
Aristotle aimed for ethics to be both an intellectual and a practical pursuit, with the ultimate goal of human well-being and happiness.
Did Nicomachean ethics end?
Yet, he didn't end Nicomachean Ethics without exploring politics and pleasure. Instead, he notes that pleasure has a place in a moral life, particularly when pleasure is derived in connection with activities, like the pleasure of having a great conversation, rather than just pursuing pleasure for its own sake.
What is the highest human good?
Most activities are a means to a higher end. The highest human good, then, is that activity that is an end in itself. That good is happiness. When we aim at happiness , we do so for its own sake, not because happiness helps us realize some other end.
What are the five virtues?
There are five intellectual virtues. Three of them—scientific knowledge, intuition, and wisdom —consist of contemplative reasoning, which is detached from human affairs. The other two—art or technical skill and prudence—consist of calculative reasoning, which helps us make our way in the world.
What is the most influential book of moral philosophy?
Books. Artworks. Greek, Philosophers. Aristotle : Nicomachean Ethics (Summary) The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle is the most influential book of the moral philosophy. From Kant to John Rawls, all philosophers have discussed the issue with Aristotle on the good life and on happiness. To summarize, Aristotle raises the question ...
What is Aristotle's moral?
The man, he said, must act according to reason. The moral of Aristotle is an ethics based on actions, the outcome (“good is the end”) override the intention, contrary to the kantian ethics.
Is the man responsible for happiness?
The man is totally responsible for your happiness. Virtue must be practiced on a continuous, not episodic. Virtue is an act, not a being. Basically, man must develop the habit of doing right, developing the potential moral power it holds (note difference / power recurs in Aristotle):
Why is Aristotle's account of virtue different from other moral philosophers?
Aristotle’s account of virtue differs slightly from other moral philosophers because it at no point makes an argument for why we should want to be virtuous.
What did Aristotle conclude about virtue?
Within the first few paragraphs of The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle has concluded that all people have the potentiality for virtue and that we develop these virtues by performing virtuous acts. We become brave by behaving bravely, we become just by acting justly. We might be happy to call it quits right here.
Is it virtuous to donate $100 to charity?
We can not assume that there will always be a mathematical, objective standard for every virtue. The act of donating $100 to charity might seem virtuous. However, if the man giving the money is very wealthy, we might assume that he is not being virtuous at all, but is actually rather greedy.
Is Meno a good philosophy?
While such things are indeed beneficial for those of us who practice philosophy, The Meno does lack a particular immediacy, a conciseness that we might long for when considering the way in which we ought to live. It is a good thing, therefore, that Aristotle’s brand of philosophy is readily available.
What does Aristotle seek to do?
Aristotle begins by seeking to identify the best way of life. To do this, it’s necessary to identify the best good, or end—the thing people pursue for its own sake, not for the sake of anything else. He digresses to explain that Nicomachean Ethics will be a work of political science, the science which seeks the good of the city.
What is virtuousness in the sense of doing the right thing?
In other words, being virtuous involves more than simply doing the right thing, but doing the right thing while in the appropriate, intermediate, state. Virtue has various preconditions; for example, one must deliberate and then decide on the virtuous end toward which one is aiming.
What are the impediments to virtue?
One of the chief impediments to virtue is incontinence, or lack of self-restraint, which Aristotle addresses at length. People who lack self-restraint understand that it’s wrong to pursue a given pleasure, and they even deliberate and decide accordingly, but still act against their decision.
What is the difference between magnanimity and temperance?
Magnificence involves spending worthy amounts on large purposes (such as temples for the gods), and magnanimity involves both being worthy of great honors and knowing one is worthy of such.
Overview
Book VI: Intellectual virtue
Book VI of the Nicomachean Ethics is identical to Book V of the Eudemian Ethics. Earlier in both works, both the Nicomachean Ethics Book IV, and the equivalent book in the Eudemian Ethics (Book III), though different, ended by stating that the next step was to discuss justice. Indeed, in Book I Aristotle set out his justification for beginning with particulars and building up to the highest things. Character virtues (apart from justice perhaps) were already discussed in an approximate way, as like achieving a middle point between two extreme options, but this now rai…
Title and abbreviations
The English version of the title derives from Greek Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια, transliterated to Ethika Nikomacheia, which is sometimes also given in the genitive form as Ἠθικῶν Νικομαχείων, Ethikōn Nikomacheiōn. The Latin, which is also commonly used, can be Ethica Nicomachea or De Moribus ad Nicomachum.
The Nicomachean Ethics is very often abbreviated "NE", or "EN", and books and chapters are generally referred to by Roman and Arabic numerals, respectively, along with corresponding Bekker numbers. (Thus, "NE II.2, 1103b1" …
Background
In many ways this work parallels Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics, which has only eight books, and the two works are closely related to the point that parts overlap. Books V, VI, and VII of the Nicomachean Ethics are identical to Books IV, V, and VI of the Eudemian Ethics. It is suggested that around three NE books were lost and were replaced by three parallel works from the Eudemian Ethics, explaining the overlap. Opinions about the relationship between the two works—for example, which was written first, and which originally contained the three common …
Synopsis
The first philosopher to write ethical treatises, Aristotle argues that the correct approach for studying such controversial subjects as Ethics or Politics, which involve discussing what is beautiful or just, is to start with what would be roughly agreed to be true by people of good up-bringing and experience in life, and to work from there to a higher understanding.
Taking this approach, Aristotle begins by saying that the highest good for humans, the highest aim of all human …
Book I
Book I attempts to both define the subject matter itself and justify the method that has been chosen (in chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7). As part of this, Aristotle considers common opinions along with the opinions of poets and philosophers.
Concerning accuracy and whether ethics can be treated in an objective way, Aristotle points out that the "things that are beautiful and just, about which politics investigates, involve great disagreement and inconsistency, so th…
Books II–V: Concerning excellence of character or moral virtue
Aristotle says that whereas virtue of thinking needs teaching, experience and time, virtue of character (moral virtue) comes about as a consequence of following the right habits. According to Aristotle the potential for this virtue is by nature in humans, but whether virtues come to be present or not is not determined by human nature.
Trying to follow the method of starting with approximate things gentlemen can agree on, and looking at all circumstances, Aristotle says that we can describe virtues as things that are destroyed by deficiency or excess. …
Book VII. Impediments to virtue
This book is the last of three books that are identical in both the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics. It is Book VI in the latter. It extends previously developed discussions, especially from the end of Book II, in relation to vice akolasia and the virtue of sophrosune.
Aristotle names three things humans should avoid that have to do with character:
• Evils or vices (kakia), the opposites of virtues. These have been discussed already in Book II because, like the vi…