Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

My aim in this paper will be to present Aristotle’s views on the maximal good from excerpts of his thesis from “Nicomachean Ethics”. Aristotle’ thesis is that there is a chief good and that is happiness. He starts this book on the idea that there is a definitive good that is complete and he concludes that this good is happiness. First, I will present Aristotle’s strongest argument for his claims. I will then present an objection to Aristotle’s argument. Finally, I will show how Aristotle would respond to this objection.

Throughout Aristotle’s thesis the argument that is most prevalent is:

1. All human actions aim at some good.

2. The good is the end of human action in overall.

3. The end of human action is happiness.

C. Happiness is the chief

(9) Aristotle speaks heavily on aiming at good in Section 1 of Nicomachean Ethics. He argues that the concept of good is something that “every art and every inquiry” (9) and “every action and pursuit” (9) aim toward. He then goes on in Chapters 1 and 2 to encourage the reader to question where we recognize the good in our activities to place less emphasis on the activities that we often encounter. However, in Chapter 2, Aristotle then goes on say there is a “chief good” (10), a good which is supreme. One can infer that Aristotle believes that this is chief good because we pursue it for no given reason, and interchangeably for any given reason. This is apparent when he contemplates the ideals of human action by saying that “It makes no difference whether the activities themselves are the ends of actions” (9). This quote is relevant because people view entities’ as a chief good and do tasks simply for the sake of doing so. This relates to the chief good being good in itself for no other reason because people simply complete and undergo tasks for no given

Artistole views on the chief good are explicitly explained on page 12. He argues “…that happiness is the chief good […]” (12). Aristotle argues that this is the end of human action because it provides a “clearer account” (12) of determining the good in ethics. The clearer account being a deeper understanding of the good and why there may be a chief. Aristotle again argues that happiness is the end of human action since makes strong references to the chief good as the end. This shows a connection in his reading and he states “…happiness, [is] above all else” (12) which makes it very clear throughout the reading that Aristotle believes that the happiness is the principle that people provide as a basis of all their human actions. When we are all aiming at some good we are all aiming at the ideals that are expressed through