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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

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Expanding on Plato’s theory of the good through the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle wished to share what he believed to be the way in which mankind is meant to live and achieve Eudaimonia. In other words the ethics represent his theory of the good and the virtues, which we must follow in order to live a truly happy, prosperous and successful life. Aristotle also spends a great deal of time (roughly 3 books) discussing the importance and value of friendship, a subject not commonly associated with ethics. However, Aristotle includes a discussion on friendship in his ethics as he views true friendship as the ultimate culmination of his stated virtues and believes that they are the backbone/glue holding society together for the greatest common/shared …show more content…

He states the problem that no person willingly does anything bad. Every decision and choice we make, we deem as good, as no one ever makes a conscious bad/wrong choice; we make choices rationally thinking they are good(1141b). These choices each serve a purpose or telos, in other words they are all means to an end. Thus, rationally speaking the best activity or highest end would be something that is an end in itself. This means that the best activities are those that are done for their own sake with no further goal/telos. For Aristotle this higher goal is happiness(1097b1-6) . To understand how something can be an end in itself one can ask why one is doing something (what is the goal?). If the reason is anything other than “just because” or happiness, then there is a further reason and the activity is not an end in itself. Happiness is thus the ultimate good, making the goal of the ethics to help us best achieve our telos of happiness and achieving the wealth, success, and fulfilment of eudaimonia. Happiness for Aristotle is more than just a feeling or emotion; it is a way of life. Our happiness is dependant on the choices we make. Aristotle then explains how our choices are determined by our character or ethos. However, this does not mean that the ethics help determine right from wrong, but more shows us how to live a virtuous and happy life. This happiness for Aristotle expands far beyond just the personal sphere, but extends into the group or

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