The Nicomachean Ethics (one of two important ethical treatises that Aristotle wrote) deals with the most fundamental kinds of moral dilemmas. Among those moral dilemmas is friendship and the benefit that is has on the civil society. In order to flourish, humans must live in accordance with their distinctive natures; and what distinguishes humans in general from all other creatures is their ability to use friendship to benefit their surroundings, and ultimately contribute to their capacity for reason…
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which aims at something divine. He then also says that human beings are social, not solitary, which aims at the human good. However, these statements that focus on Aristotle’s belief that a human should strive for both the human good vs. the divine good do not conflict. Aristotle is consistent throughout his philosophy of the Nicomachean Ethics. According to Aristotle, the happiness of man can be determined by identifying the function proper to man (Aristotle, Book One). Aristotle uses the analogy of…
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will be using Aristotle’s definition of happiness, which corresponds with a well-lived life for the person living it. I will be using the words “happiness” and the Greek translation of “eudaemonia ”, interchangeably…
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Aristotle’s book of Nicomachean Ethics is split into ten separate books however we are going to be focusing on his first book, happiness. We will be analyzing the Nicomachean Ethics to understand Aristotle’s assessment on him having a low opinion of the pursuits of most people. He establishes that the soul can be broken up into three unique sections. The first section is the nutritive soul, the second section is the sensible soul, and the last part is the rational soul. Each of these souls dictate…
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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics: Book II Bailey Stephens 1. There are two kinds of virtue: Intellectual and that of character, or moral. o Intellectual virtue is taught through time, experience, and instruction. o Moral virtue arises from habituation and practice. o Virtues develops like musical or other practical skills; only by behaving and acting correctly will they make a person virtuous, through good practice. 2. Our actions develop our habitual virtues, yet there are not any sets of rules…
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individual happiness is seen as good so would murder be considered good if it brought someone happiness? Instead do we view the happiness of the whole over the individual or does being happy have to be within the bounds of the law. In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics Book 1 he believes anything that performs its function well is considered good. Aristotle treats happiness as an activity instead of a state. This is why he believes that something that performs its function well is good, since it has…
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Throughout Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle addresses the importance of happiness and what it means to seek happiness. Discussing the main principles of what forms happiness can take and how humans display their happiness, Aristotle forms his opinion around the idea of the chief human good, which is also referred to as eudaimonia. Aristotle uses this to base his instrumental reasoning that all things are done by a human for the sake of happiness. This idea of the chief good is in Chapter 7 where…
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Aristotle and Platos Theories of Ethics Uploaded by snwboarder on Oct 27, 2011 This essay examines Aristotle’s and Plato’s theories of ethics, and briefly compares them. Classical Theories of Ethics – Outline I Introduction II Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics III Plato’s Republic IV Brief Comparison V Conclusion Classical Theories of Ethics I Introduction The study of ethics takes us all the way back to classical Greece. Since it does, I thought it might be useful to compare…
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His points are sometimes misguided and others are still being used and quoted over 2300 years later. His thoughts on happiness are spot on and very accurate, but his view on the political community has some issues in its modern day practicality. Aristotle’s view on the political community leaves me in bewilderment when he asserts that a political community is natural. “It is clear that all partnerships aim at some good, and that the partnership that is most authoritative of all and embraces all the…
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The ones who do it for the pure reason of helping people in need are the ones we view as virtuous. Aristotle believed that having virtues such as these were absolutely essential in living a welllived life. In the following I will describe Aristotle’s theory of human virtue and analyze how his theory of virtue creates the foundation for his political theory and beliefs. Aristotle believed in teleology , which comes from the Greek word “Telos” meaning for "end", "purpose", or "goal" . Teleology is an extremely complexed matter…
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