Total Page : 80
Publisher : SparkNotes
Publication Date : 2003 06 13
>> This is a very important book
Why is it important for even average people to know about the ancient philosopher Aristotle It is necessary to realize that there are two approaches to life one worldview follows the fourth century BCE Greek philosopher Plato while the other is based on his disciple Aristotle Plato s view is somewhat mystical and impractical Good is what corresponds to some otherworldly item If one s behavior resembles the otherworldly behavior it is good otherwise it is bad If a chair is like the otherworldly chair it can be called a chair How is this helpful Unfortunately and this is the vital point most religions have followed the amorphous impractical non informing Platonic view This approach to life has not helped humans improve themselves and society Aristotle in contrast was a pragmatist a scientist a clear intelligent observer of the world people and society He based his ideas and behavior on what could be proven Thus a chair is an item that can be used to sit on Good behavior is what promotes and improves a person s well being specifically habits of action that are performed according to the golden mean not tending to an extreme of avoidance or its opposite People should not starve themselves or overeat Proper charity is not stinginess nor is squandering a sizable part of one s wealth Once this practical Aristotelian worldview is understood and once people realize that they must use their intelligence and not rely on the ideas of the past they will live a better be healthier and have a more complete and satisfying life and practice their religion as it should be practiced with active productive behavior not ascetic passivity
>> A milestone in the exploration of virtue community and the end of man
1 Overview
In his Nichomachean Ethics Aristotle develops a framework from which to explore morality human happiness and man s purpose Some have suggested that Aristotle s framework for ethics was less rigid than that of his predecessor Plato who took a deductive approach that began with the forms Although Aristotle s form begins with the particulars in a more inductive fashion his Ethics demonstrates that he is as much as a absolutist as Plato was He concludes that there are certain values such as courage or generosity that are absolutely good though they may manifest themselves in each individual differently
2 Book I Happiness
The ultimate purpose behind each person s existence is the attainment of happiness which Aristotle defines as the contemplation of universal truth Happiness is not for Aristotle a subjective feeling but rather an objective state that comes about when the soul engages in activity that accords with virtue
In order to determine what this state of happiness looks like Aristotle must define virtue He first equates virtue with excellence in furthering man s purpose Just as sharpness is the quality that makes a knife excellent because it furthers the knife s purpose so too must we look to man s purpose in order to determine the qualities that further it Aristotle holds that man s purpose is to lead a life of reason and deliberation Happiness is thus equated with the rational activity of the soul that seeks to contemplate and understand reality Virtue furthers this purpose and leads to a more complete life
3 Books II III IV Virtue of Character and the Preconditions of Virtue
What are the virtues that enabled man to fulfill his purpose Aristotle defines moral virtue is a mean between the extremes of excess and deficiency It is not an average between extremes but rather a central balanced position Moderation is the key to the virtues For example courage is a virtue that is the mean between cowardice and rashness whereas the cowardly will not act at all the rash will rush into imprudent and risky action The courageous in contrast act at the right time and to the right extent in undertaking the right degree of risk Similarly pride is the mean between vanity and humility and gentleness is the mean between irascibility and spiritlessness
In matters of wealth the two extremes are prodigality which leads to waste and meanness or stinginess which attaches too much importance on wealth Generosity or liberality in contrast is the mean in matters pertaining to wealth Wealth is therefore best used by the generous man who spends for the sake of the noble and right he will give the right amount to the right people at the right time
Among the other virtues Aristotle discusses magnanimity temperance truthfulness justice and wit All of these virtues manifest themselves differently in each individual but they always hold the characteristic of moderation between extremes The more the individual acts out with knowledge and self discipline in accordance with these virtues by making moral choices for the good the more the individual will acquire virtue and true happiness
4 Book VII Incontinence
Aristotle distinguishes between three bad moral states vice incontinence and brutishness and their contrary states virtue continence and superhuman virtue He focuses his discussion on continence and incontinence Whereas incontinence is weakness of will that impedes an individual from acting according to what he knows to be good continence is the strength to do as he knows to be good and successfully resist the passions
When one commits a vice he acts immorally according to his choice When he acts incontinently however he acts against what he knows to be the moral good and thus acts against what his mind wills Incontinent action is therefore not vice in the strict sense and one may be consciously aware that he is committing an incontinent act while he is in the act of committing it
The pleasures that may lead to incontinency revolve around three kinds of activities i unnecessary pleasures such as honor and wealth ii things worthy of avoidance and iii the necessary functions for life such as food and sexual intercourse An incontinent man is unable to abide by his resolutions to resist these desires
5 Book VIII Friendship and Community
Although a life of intellectual virtue is man s highest state of happiness it involves a level of isolation that is not completely possible for man Because man is a social creature a necessary part of his life involves community and friendship the relationship where a man acts out for the good of another and tastes his joys and shares his sorrows as though they were his own Yet while man engages in friendship and community his decisions should be governed by the intellect in accordance with virtue It is the purpose of politics and the city to enable the framework from which men can realize this vision and thus live the good life
6 Book X Pleasure
As for pleasure Aristotle does not equate it with the hedonistic sense that it has come to acquire in our modern day Rather pleasure is for Aristotle the ultimate good that results from virtuous action Because virtue is inextricably tied up to happiness the virtuous man leads the most pleasant life Although the end or purpose of virtue is not pleasure the virtuous man because he engages in virtue for its own sake will experience pleasure as a natural consequence of his nature
>> Great Read Great Translation
Is it then the Good that people love or only what is good for them Ethics VIII 2
The Nicomachean Ethics presents Aristotle s search for the Good which leads the reader through a detailed analysis of the virtues justice pleasure and friendship The discussion is peppered with insighful observations and sayings and it even includes a short treatise on money and economics
Aristotle can be difficult to read but this translation is friendly and the text flows well especially from Book V onwards Hugh Tredennick s footnotes glossary and appendices are an invaluable aid to understanding though the introduction is more profitably read after the work I would advocate forming your own view first and then challenging it against Barnes stimulating essay
Aristotle advocates the mean as a practical moral guide except for wrongs like murder and he discusses this along with his table of virtues and vices across several chapters According to Aristotle men are bad in countless ways but good in only one II 6 and his virtue ethics aims to help people to achieve the Good Though Aristotle repeatedly returns to the issue of pleasure and justice this analysis was the weakest part of the book and his study of intention ultimately yields too much to the passions c f Book V 6
Aristotle is certainly aware of the problems of hedonism and relativism but his solution of contemplation as happiness and the highest good can come across as too individualistic elitist and lacking the required authority
I can only at most half agree with statements such as
The study of pleasure and pain is the task of the political philosopher because he is the master craftsman who decides the end which is the standard by which we call any given thing good or bad without qualification VII 6
This aside Aristotle s work is highly innovative thorough and rightly respected as one of the best ethical treatises of all time
Further Reading
BEFORE
Aristotle for Everybody Great Introduction to Aristotle by his most passionate and articulate spokesman Mortimer Adler
Aristotle A Very Short Introduction Written by the author of the introduction Jonathan Barnes
AFTER
The Politics Penguin Classics The natural follow on from the Ethics
The Athenian Constitution Penguin Classics Aristotle s treatises applied to reality
