The internet classics archive nicomachean ethics by aristotle. Aristotles work, the nicomachean ethics, consists of numerous books pertaining to aristotles ethicsthe ethics of the good life. The first book discloses aristotles belief on moral philosophy and the correlation between virtue and happiness. Aristotles nicomachean ethics by aristotle, paperback barnes. Aristotle here begins indepth coverage of each moral virtue, starting with courage. Most people live by their feelings, pursuing pleasures and avoiding pains, and they dont have a taste for the fine and truly pleasant. The work consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes said to be from his lectures at the lyceum which were either edited by or dedicated to aristotles son, nicomachus. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In friendships with dissimilar aims, aristotle says, there has to be an equalizer of some sort. Any friendship that cant achieve this sort of proportionalitysuch as a friendship in which one person loves for pleasure and the other for utilitywill be inherently unstable.
Nicomachean ethics quizzes about important details and events in every section of the book. Nicomachean ethics aristotle mcmaster faculty of social. All living things have a nutritive soul, which governs bodily health and growth. Buy the nicomachean ethics ne oxford worlds classics by aristotle, brown, lesley, ross, david isbn. Nicomachean ethics project gutenberg selfpublishing. He describes the reasons friendships succeed or fail as well the. From kant to john rawls, all philosophers have discussed the issue with aristotle on the good life and on happiness. Further evidence for thinking virtuous actions are ends is found in book 6.
Nicomachean ethics by aristotle book ix summary and analysis. Aristotle concludes book ii by saying that, in light of whats been discussed, its hard work to be excellent. Aristotle, nicomachean ethics, mullen, hard thinking about values proper function of man aristotle observes that the human body is composed of several distinct parts such as limbs, the other sense organs like eyes, ears, tongue and the head, which carry on some distinct and proper function to render better health. Analysis for book iii cliffsnotes study guides book. The nicomachean ethics fits within the tradition of moral inquiry known as virtue ethics because of its emphasis on the importance of developing moral or character virtues in order to be good and. Sparknotes is here for you with everything you need to ace or teach. Aristotle reverences study, but he thinks the student needs to use what they have learned and apply it. Theres more drama to be had in friendships, especially when the people involved expect different things from each otherand neither is satisfied. Nicomachean ethics study guide contains a biography of aristotle, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The nicomachean ethics is an actionoriented work meant to give the reader practical advice for living a good life, similar to a modern selfhelp book. We should likewise be sceptical of the reading of 1105b79 as providing a. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. Taken together, these works emphasize aristotles conviction that the political art is the highest goodsince it encompasses the good ends desired by every part of the.
For a virtuous man has harmonious thoughts, the parts of the soul are in concord, and he wishes for himself what is god. In friendships or exchanges where each person receives a different benefit, it is important that both parties feel they are being justly treated. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Aristotles nicomachean ethics is perhaps one of the most influential treatise on moral philosophy. Find a summary of this and each chapter of nicomachean ethics. In this video, professor thorsby offers an overview of aristotles nicomachean ethics book ix. He begins by discussing friends with different aims, where proportion equalizes and preserves the friendship like proportionate worth in goods and services keeps political friendships or economies of exchange together. All things are to be understood in terms of their purposes, the ends.
Having said this, aristotle cant end his discussion here, because it isnt enough to study virtue, but to act on what one has learned. Start studying aristotles nicomachean ethics book 3. Chapter i cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. While nature plays a role in making people good, and teaching has an impact on some, the soul of any student needs to have been prepared by habit for enjoying or hating finely, like ground that is to nourish seed. Nicomachean ethics by aristotle book i summary and analysis. Animals and humans differ from plants in having an appetitive soul, which governs movement and impulse. Since one extreme is generally worse than the other, its best to aim for the lesser of the. To summarize, aristotle raises the question of virtue. Sometimes, in the nicomachean ethics ne, aristotle describes virtuous actions as the. The paperback of the aristotles nicomachean ethics by aristotle at. The thinking part of a person is what the person primarily is. Analysis for book iii he begins by distinguishing between actions that are voluntary and those that are involuntary. Nicomachean ethics is part of a vast scientific and philosophical system to which a teleological view of the universe is basic.
He altered history and the way our world views philosophy and ethics. Any friendship that cant achieve this sort of proportionalitysuch as a friendship in which one person loves for pleasure and the other. Basically, were going to get deep into the heart of what aristotle thought made people good. Previously published as ethics, aristotles the nicomachean ethics addresses the question of how to live well and originates the concept of cultivating a virtuous character as the basis of his ethical system. Olivia schoen dan brown ethics 101 8 april 2015 nicomachean ethics as one of the greatest philosophers of all time, aristotle was one of the greats. The nicomachean ethics by aristotle is the most influential book of the moral philosophy. Need help with book 9 in aristotles nicomachean ethics. It is a central text in greek ethics, a primary source of medieval ethics, and a stimulus to thought about morality. Looseleaf version for the developing person through the life span tenth edition by kathleen stassen berger author 4. In chapters 912, aristotle addresses some objections or questions that might. The work, which plays a preeminent role in defining aristotelian ethics, consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes from his lectures at the lyceum, which were either edited by or dedicated to aristotles son, nicomachus. It extends previously developed discussions, especially from the end of book ii, in relation to vice akolasia and the virtue of sophrosune.
The work, which plays a preeminent role in defining aristotelian ethics, consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes from his lectures at the lyceum. In this section aristotle discusses the role of friendship. Because involuntary actions are those over which man has no control at all they do not belong in the field of ethics and man has no moral responsibility with reference to them. Here aristotle sets out to examine the nature of happiness, and argues that happiness consists in activity of the soul in accordance with virtue, including moral virtues, such as courage, generosity and justice, and intellectual virtues, such as knowledge, wisdom and insight. A brilliant thinker with wideranging interests, he wrote important works in physics, biology, poetry, politics, morality, metaphysics, and ethics. Aristotle uses this section to expand on the concept of friendship. The first is that book vii and book x were most likely written at different times and for different purposes, and were only later interpolated into the same book. The nicomachean ethics is the name normally given to aristotles bestknown work on ethics. D download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Nicomachean ethics kindle edition by aristotle, ross, w.
There are as many kinds of ends as there are kinds of activity and the ends may vary, depending on the particular activity being studied e. Acting virtuously as an end in aristotles nicomachean ethics. Theres more drama to be had in friendships, especially when the. The work, which plays a preeminent role in defining aristotelian ethics, consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes.
Youre about to go for a severalthousandyearold rideand aristotle aint going to make it easy for you. Chapter summary for aristotles nicomachean ethics, book 9 summary. Chapter 1 exercising virtue chapter 2 nature of right action chapter 3 pleasure and pain chapter 4 how virtuous acts must be done chapter 5 virtues are states of character chapter 6 virtue concerned with mean action chapter 7 particulars of mean action chapter 8 three kinds of disposition chapter 9 erring on side of. Aristotle explains that mere arguments about virtue arent enough to make people behave decently. A student of plato and a teacher of alexander the great, aristotle is one of the towering figures in western thought. Aristotles nicomachean ethics book 3 flashcards quizlet. In books viii and ix of his masterpiece of moral philosophy, the. This study guide consists of approximately 44 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of nicomachean ethics. Summary section 1 this section continues aristotles discussion of friendship. All human actions and choices aim at some good, which may be defined as the end or object of that action or choice. The nicomachean ethics aristotle 384 bce 322 bce, translated by thomas taylor 1758 1835 the work consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes said to be from his lectures at the lyceum which were either edited by or dedicated to aristotles son, nicomachus. Book v 1 with regards to justice and injustice we must 1 consider what kind of actions they are concerned with, 2 what sort of mean justice is, and 3 between what extremes the just act is intermediate. In this lesson, youll develop an understanding of aristotle, including his view of moral responsibility and ethics. For aristotle, the soul, or psuche the root of our word psychology, is simply that which distinguishes living things from nonliving things.
This book is the last of three books that are identical in both the nicomachean ethics and the eudemian ethics. The dispositions, feelings and actions proper to friendship originated those proper to a good mans relation to himself. Nicomachean ethics 5 good judge of that subject, and the man who has received an allround education is a good judge in general. On my interpretation of the way in which the exercise of virtue is constitutive of. Books v, vi, and vii of the nicomachean ethics also feature in the eudemian ethics, which is aristotles other, less known work on ethics. On the plus side, he doesnt hold grudges, gossip, or ask for your help when he moves to a new apartment.
1235 707 758 594 12 30 1288 701 195 829 1006 200 1466 1333 712 1596 270 1112 827 1205 667 1128 893 692 81 1368 1388 680 863 892 247 1331 528 550 268 1051 817 907