Good In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle starts off in his essay explaining the definitions of Good, Primacy of Statecraft and the study of Ethics. He defines good as where all things are to be aimed, for example health. He then defines Statecraft as citizens of a state, a country, and of the world need to do good for their own good but more importantly for the good of the state. He also characterizes various types of good. Finally, the definition on study of Ethics. This talks about the pure excellence of justice that involves the disagreements and agreements of uncertainty and certainty. Aristotle also talks about happiness and where a certain

To me, the first part of the book is really important. It made me want to read the book more, and I became more interested in each character. Because of this, both of the important passages that I picked are about the storked baby. In chapter eleven, “She looks at Connor. Still red, he intentionally avoids her gaze. The reason Connor gave was a lie. Something else drove him to run to that porch. But whatever the real reason was, Connor's keeping it to himself” (Shusterman 50). Once I read this sentence, I believed that Connor must has a really interesting background and experiences. I started to get interested in this character. And I personally think that the storked baby actually is the transition of the personalities of characters. Mostly,

As Aristotle emphasizes, the field of ethics is concerned with the well-being of the city as a whole, not as much with individual well-being (NE I.2, 1094b). On an individual basis, the distinct human function has no significant moral role. However, when practicality is stressed over theory, the moral significance of that distinct function becomes more integral. Aristotle’s account of the highest good in Book I of Nichomachean Ethics concerns the the general desire for happiness: it serves as a guide for a political leader, not a layout for individual morality. Thus, the distinct human capacity is morally significant insofar as it acts though politics. Although it is true that the method he uses to arrive at his conclusion seems to

Only when these two aspects of the soul are engaged can one be closer to achieving happiness. Aristotle refutes elitist thinking by stating that all people have the capacity to reason within the soul. The good and bad characteristics in people come from the kinds of activities that they desire to undertake. Aristotle also generally defines the good life as simply doing what one wants to do, but happiness can only truly be achieved when one desires to do the correct things.

Aristotle argues that the most important thing in peoples lives is the virtue of happiness. He writes that one attains happiness by living a life of virtue - "our definition is in harmony with those who say that happiness is virtue, or a particular virtue; because an activity in accordance with virtue implies virtue. Indeed, we may go further and assert that anyone who does not delight in fine actions is not even a good man."(Aristotle) A life of virtue implies a life of reasoning for the end goal of doing what is good. Human good is fulfilling and most desirable, therefore human good in life correlates with virtue.

Morrie often expresses how he isn't afraid of aging. He sees aging as growth and something that is apart of life. Morrie isn't the type to dread or complain about things happening. He lives in the moment. he likes to experiment. There's a better approach to look at death and that's to be prepared. This can help get you more interested or involved in life while living. before Morrie's was sick he never really thought about death. No oen believes there going to die but its reality. Facing death helps you see things better, and differently. He says "learn how to die and you will learn how to live." This shows how he chose to see life and not everyone will agree. Some like to have joy thinking there going to live forever but as you get older there

1. Alaska draws pioneers, pilgrims, and countless adventurers to its frozen wilderness for reasons that many can’t see or understand. Whether they seek out nature’s beauty and knowledge like Chris McCandless, or the glory of achievement like climber John Waterman, most find the conditions cruel and unrelenting. Alaska is beautiful, but for many, it is less a refuge than a peril.

He is honored to be author of ‘The Nicomachean Ethics,’ which was in fact the 1st book ever written on the subject of ethics. The book is greatly influential, even in modern times. By an analysis of Aristotle’s literature, it can be observed that he primarily focused on preaching to be ‘virtuous’ rather than focusing on the theories of what ‘virtue’ is. According to him, in whatever way we choose to act, some action that is focused on achieving the desired end result or ‘good’ results comes from that person’s own perspective. Aristotle claimed that the maximum good which a person have desire to achieve is basically an end-point itself , a person’s action or struggles is for achieving that ‘end-point’, it may be regarded as a point of maximum satisfaction. Aristotle critically concluded that the happiness of a person satisfies these conditions completely, and hence the highest attainable good is regarded as happiness.

Aristotle begins to question what is good? The good is explained to differ in different activities and arts, but shares a common ground because it appears to be for the sake of how things are done; a means to an end. Aristotle uses the example of medicine; its mean is to end in health. However, there are many different ends and humans chose some of them, as a means to something else, therefore not all ends are final ones. That which is chosen never as a mean to something else proves to be more final than that which is chosen for itself and something else. Therefore, Aristotle justifies that the mean that is always chosen for itself and not for means of something else is called the final. Aristotle uses this definition and applies it to happiness, since happiness is always chosen as an end in itself and never for the sake of something else. The thought of honor, pleasure and virtue being chosen as an end for itself may apply but can be assumed they lead to happiness as a means to an end.

In Book I of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that the highest good is happiness, which means living well. The highest good must be a complete end in itself, and it should also be self-sufficient. Before one can determine what happiness is, one must first determine the function of man, because good consists of performing one’s function well. The function of the man is activity of the soul according to reason, which is a rational part of man. The ultimate good of man flows naturally from performing his function well, which will then lead to happiness.

As one reads though the translations of Aristotle’s thoughts, you begin to realize the complexity, yet the common sense of his work. Modern day people have a goal in life, to achieve a certain amount of success and to live life relatively happy. Most agree that to get to that goal, the populous must conform and participate

To Aristotle leading a good life, for the most part, means fulfilling one’s purpose in a way that is good by balancing life’s pleasures. In order to determine if an object fulfills its function in a good way, we must first consider the object. If we were to agree that a car should be reliable, then we could also agree that reliable car should be considered a good car. Similarly, animals, for example, possess certain traits like the power of locomotion, and the desire to seek nourishment and reproduce. According to

Human desires are unlimited and constantly emerge in us and continually replacing with other desires. Human beings are providentially managed for their own sake and made their own choice. Human wants are seemingly insatiable so man would crave anything that can provide pleasure to itself and this may go on without limit. If this is the case, since human desires are endless, people would lose their abilities to desire eventually and no longer interested in or motivated to do anything. Hence, human beings are in pursuit of the good should be an ultimate end. In most cases, many think honour, pleasure or wealth is the best good because these are the factors that can bring them happiness and so does all other goods. Therefore, Aristotle proposed that the best good is happiness since it ends in itself.

“EVERY art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim” (Ross, n.d.). Aristotle believed that both external (wealth, material possessions) and internal (temperance, courage, etc.) contributed to a person’s happiness and that a person’s final goal was to find the “good” or their function in life. He also believed that the pursuit of the final goal led to certain actions and pursuits and that the cumulative sum of these actions over a lifespan would determine a person’s morality. In other words, a person may spend his or her whole life committing moral acts, such as giving to charity and saving lives but may act out of character and commit one immoral act such as theft. Since his or her life was spent mostly committing moral acts, that one immoral action does not make him or her immoral and therefor he or she should not be judged by that one aberration.

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle names two types of functions: artificial functions and natural functions (Aristotle, 7). Artificial functions develop from human activities. In other terms, humans define certain jobs as having certain functions (Aristotle, 7). Basically, they write the description of each and every job. A teacher's job is to teach. A police officer's job is to serve and protect. These two jobs have certain descriptions because humans defined them that way. Another kind of artificial function comes from when humans invent something. For example, if human beings decide to invent a heater, they have to decide what the function of a heater is. If a heater's function is to produce heat, we can assume a heater that doesn’t produce heat is a bad one.