Nicomachean Ethics

Since the beginning of time, the environment in which one is accustomed to provides them with the choices that lead down paths that make their legacy. This environment can be negative or positive, structured or chaotic, rich or poor, all which give a variety of choices. Regardless of the different trials and tribulations we face ultimately, it is the choices we make in response that make us the person we become.

Iyengar, S. S., Lepper, M. R. When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing?

Tavris and Aronson discuss the main idea of this chapter—cognitive dissonance. As it is the engine of self-justification like it is mentioned in the first page of the chapter, cognitive dissonance allows the person to reflect two different cognitions and know the justifications to actions and decisions. Tavris and Aronson use the example of smoking to exemplify the reduction in dissonance. Considering cognitive dissonance, the authors reveal that dissonance challenges behaviorism. People should know that even if there is a painful situation laid front of their life path, achieving something by going through that path will make them a superior person and that goal will become even more attractive. In addition, explained by the authors, the

As one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Aristotle was one of the greats. He altered history and the way our world views philosophy and ethics. One of his theories of ethics that he written in the form of 10 books was Nicomachean Ethics, this theory consisted of Aristotle’s perspective on the life of man and what makes a good life for man. Personally, I think his theory of ethics is a good outline of how to be an ethical and happy, I think Nicomachean ethics is a valid theory as it makes sense, and as a base line or starting point can be applied to many situations. Aristotle purposes that all human beings work toward a supreme happiness or good, this good is

Valerie Bertinelli once said, “Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There's going to be stress in life, but it's your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” Every day we make choices. Some choices are go and some are bad. When someone makes a choice, there can be three outcomes: good, bad, and neutral. Making choices can be a split second and is a gut feeling, or it can be a choice which takes days, weeks, months, or even years to make. When we make a decision we know that it will impact someone or something in life. Humans have the power to do something good; something that will help others, even if it hurts ourselves.Humans have the power to do something evil; something that will hurt others when it helps us. When we make choices we

Temperance, for example, was by some confin’d to eating and drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure, appetite, inclination or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice and ambition.” (BF, p67). This was the problem that Franklin came across in his studies on virtues. This problem also eventually lead him to create a list of what he deemed were the most important virtues that man should strive to improve upon in life to reach moral perfection. The list was much shorter and more specific than anything he read in his studies. The list goes as follows: Temperance (eat not to dullness. Drink not to elation), Silence (speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation), Order (let all your things have their places. Let each part or your business have its time), Resolution (resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve), Frugality (make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, waste nothing), Industry (lose no time, be always employed in something useful, cut off all unnecessary actions), Sincerity (use no hurtful deceit, think innocently and justly; and, if you speak; speak accordingly), Justice (wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that your duty), Moderation (avoid extremes, forbear resenting injuries so much as you think the deserve), Cleanliness (tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation), Tranquility (be not

As soon as I read over this question, I knew it was the one I would have to answer, because it was the one I wasn't sure I could. I felt the prompt would allow me the opportunity to directly illustrate the person that I am. However, my current knowlege and interpretation of Aristotle's “Nicomachean Ethics” has made the task reprehensibly difficult. I found myself wandering through a mind-numbingly agonizing process to properly address the prompt. This process consisted of working through two separate paths that addressed the topic. Though, I found myself seeing that both of these paths brought me further from the very virtue I was trying to show that I pursue.

A point of this book is that just as people have unique personality preferences, we all have unique preferences for what we find satisfying or motivating when

In this essay, I will provide an ethical analysis of Phil Connors’ character through the philosophical lenses of Aristotle and Plato, by demonstrating how Phil’s sour attitude at the beginning of the film turns virtuous by the end, through a self-imposed, major character shift. During the majority of Groundhog Day, Phil’s attitude toward his seemingly hopeless situation is portrayed as very outwardly cynical and condescending, thus leading him to experience pain in many forms. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics describes how virtue is acquired, similar to learning a craft (1103a32-33). He goes on to detail our personal interactions with others, saying that “a state of character results from the repetition of similar activities” (1103b14-22).

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics argues that as humans we are responsible for our character and appearance. While we are all aiming at one thing, happiness, he is trying to prove that every action we take, voluntary or involuntary will lead to an apparent good and in order to be happy, we have to live a virtuous life. I will argue that voluntary and involuntary actions, virtue and freedom have significance to how our character grows and in some part make us responsible for our appearance.

Therefore, happiness is the highest act of virtue because it is the only end in every action we preform. A person that preforms an action for the sake of being happy requires many steps to eventually reach the stage of happiness. When there are steps involved to reach happiness, then the action is preformed for the sake of something else and not in itself. Such as a person who wants to eat healthier because their end motive is to be happy. Therefore, the action is not preformed for the sake of just to eat healthy but to reach happiness. However, to become virtuous, a person will preform actions that make them virtuous with a firm and unchangeable character. It is a skill that is made through a habit, Aristotle states, “legislators make the citizens good by preforming habits in them”(NE, P.23), such as preforming acts of bravery. But, a brave person needs to find a balance because being too brave will lead to excess

choices and knowing that making the wrong choices can’t be taken back once the choices

This means that a truly good life requires that we moralize, in order to determine our true human potentialities. Once we determine that this is moral and intellectual virtue, then we must actualize the good in every situation we are encountered with. Without a civilized society, humans merge into animalistic creatures or beyond the spectrum as God-like. Therefore, the eudemonia sets principles and ethics of happiness that are governed by virtue, activity, and logos. A well civilized and positive society must make human think according to reason by the activity of practicing virtues in order to reach certain desires and needs, which govern and construct our social relationships with others in the society we are developed on. Therefore, in order

Past research has shown that “fleeting and logically inconsequential changes in context can greatly alter expressed preferences” (LeBoeuf, 48). Meaning that you can prime an individual towards a particular identity and by altering the salience of a particular identity you can thereby alter the choices that the individual would have made (LeBoeuf, 56). “The salient self-concept seems to…[suggest] a relevant…set of values [that are] then used to construct identity-congruent preferences” (Robyn, 56). This supports the previously described process of socialization that as one learns the proper behaviors and preferences for a chosen identity, they will make decisions in line with it. LeBoeuf’s study examined what occurs when an individual is primed for an identity with opposing values to another of their held identities and how that effects their decision-making outcomes.

We all someday intend to live and value a good life. The good life is a condition in which a person will be the happiest. Everyone wants to live a good life but in reality, we all go through trials and tribulations. Psychology is commonly defined as 'scientific' study of human behaviors and cognitive processes. Two such philosophers, Plato, who was Aristotle's mentor, has a lot to say about happiness, virtue, and political life in his masterful book, the Republic. Part of Plato's case for his view that we must be moral to be truly happy rests on a discussion of the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. As for Aristotle, happiness is not a state but an activity. In his Nicomachean Ethics, the philosopher Aristotle tries to discover what is 'the supreme good for man', that is, what is the best way to lead our lives and give it meaning. For Aristotle, a thing is best understood by looking at its end, purpose, or goal, deem the good life as the state in which a person exhibits total virtue. Going back in ancient times, how would Plato or Aristotle come up with a basic conclusion for the human soul or would they have the people discover their problems on their? Since this is more towards the clinical psychology I don't think they had a therapy like we have today. Clinical psychology is integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge to understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective