Real happiness is what every person would love to experience throughout their lifetime. Yet‚ finding true happiness can be quite difficult. Aristotle presents an argument in his book‚ the Nicomachean Ethics‚ that to live a life of contentment you must live by the virtues set before you. He explains that happiness is something that can’t be defined easily‚ that it is distinct to each person. According to Aristotle‚ everything we do will result in some good‚ or happiness. We should aim towards this
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Aristotle – Nicomachean Ethics Book I 1. What does it mean to say Aristotle’s ethical theory is “teleological?” In Aristotle’s world‚ nature‚ which is made up of matter and form‚ is teleological‚ meaning it has an end or goal. For example‚ the telos of an acorn is to turn into an oak tree. At first something has its potential and then it makes the choice in life to actualize that potential‚ by virtue‚ and be the best it can be. There is an aim and purpose to everything and a purpose to everything
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Human nature is constructed to aim for something good at the end of every act. Every human aims at achieving the happiness as an end result. That is the reason why in this paper‚ I will argue that Aristotle’s theory‚ Nicomachean Ethics‚ is the most plausible theory in describing human nature and answering the question of how one should live in order to attain happiness. According to Aristotle all the human activities are directed towards a final end‚ which he claims to be the happiness. He also claims
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Aristotle in “The Nicomachean Ethics” he talks about the relationship between self-love and friendship. Aristotle states that there are three types of friendship: utilizing friendship‚ pleasurable friendship and virtuous friendship. In order to have a virtuous friendship you must have a virtuous self-love. In order to have a virtuous self-love you must do virtuous acts. “Perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good‚ and alike in virtue.” (Aristotle‚ The Nicomachean Ethics‚ p.145) Human beings
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humans could attain it. Aristotle studied many areas of human knowledge and wrote his thesis in his book The Nicomachean Ethics. He develops the notion that thinking will lead to the highest happiness that a human could achieve. In The Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle talks about how humans have immediate goods in life such as “pleasure‚ money‚ or‚ eminence‚” which will contribute to the supreme good in life (7). However‚ the supreme good does not aim to satisfy the appetite or the will‚ for these things
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Meaghan Hill 24th September 2012 Ethics; Dr. Patton The Nicomachean Ethics - Virtues People are naturally self aware‚ and because of that we are under the impression we are in complete control over our personalities and actions. Aristotle reasons in “The Nicomachean Ethics” that peoples values and ethics are shaped by the society in which they live in‚ and that are ability to follow them is based on how we are raised. According to Aristotle we are trained in the behaviors that are socially acceptable
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actions that are within the mean; neither excessive‚ nor deficient. Aristotle also emphasizes that happiness is more permanent than pleasure. Indeed‚ he argues further that our ethics is defined by our actions. His main point is that we need to live temperate lives in order to be
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Aristotle provides the teleological approach of how to live well in his collection of lectures‚ Nicomachean Ethics. In Book II of Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle presents his definition of virtue in which it is "a kind of mean" (N.E. 129). According to Aristotle‚ moral virtue is a means to an end‚ happiness. By using Sophocles’s Antigone‚ I will support Aristotle’s theory of virtue in which he reasons it to be a state of character between two extremes. A virtue that remains relevant today as it did
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In the Nicomachean Ethics‚ Aristotle sets out to give an account of how to best attain happiness. According to Aristotle‚ happiness is the greatest good and is the motivating factor for all of our actions (1094a1-3). Even though we may feel motivated to act in order to gain honor and praise‚ these things are not good for their own sake. Happiness‚ however‚ does not have a further end and is thus the greatest good (1095a17-20). Attaining happiness requires that we act in a way that corresponds with
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Scholars do not agree on where the name for the Nicomachean Ethics comes from. Both Aristotle’s father and his son were named Nicomachus‚ so it is possible that the book is dedicated to either one. Other scholars suggest that Aristotle’s son may have edited the book after Aristotle died‚ so that the title “Nicomachean” may refer to this particular edition of Aristotle’s ethical works. Happiness is the highest good and the end at which all our activities ultimately aim. All our activities aim at some
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