The Nicomachean EthicsIn The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle sets out to examine the nature of happiness. He argues that happiness consists in 'activity of the soul in accordance with virtue'-for example, with moral virtues, such as courage, generosity and justice, and intellectual virtues, such as knowledge, wisdom and insight. The Ethics also discusses the nature of practical reasoning, the value and the objects of pleasure, the different forms of friendship and the relationship between individual virtue, society and the State. Aristotle's work has had a profound and lasting influence on all subsequent Western thought about ethical matters. J.A.K. Thomson's translation has been revised by Hugh Tredennick, and is accompanied by a new introduction by Jonathan Barnes. This edition also includes an updated bibliography and a new chronology of Aristotle's life and works. |
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Review: The Nicomachean Ethics
User Review - Brad Lyerla - GoodreadsHappiness is the activity of a rational soul in accordance with virtue says Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics. Activity means living. Rational soul means a human being. And virtue means human ... Read full review
Review: The Nicomachean Ethics
User Review - Josh Cheung - GoodreadsJust read the Wikipedia takeaways. Interesting inputs on the ideals of a mean amongst virtues, the highest order of happiness being intelligence, the three pillars of being sociable (friendly, honest ... Read full review
Contents
The Object of Life | 3 |
Moral Goodness | 31 |
Moral Responsibility Two Virtues | 50 |
Other Moral Virtues | 82 |
Justice | 112 |
Intellectual Virtues | 144 |
Continence and Incontinence The Nature of Pleasure | 167 |
The Kinds of Friendship | 200 |
Appendix 4 Platos Theory of Forms | 292 |
Appendix 5 The Categories | 295 |
Appendix 6 Substance and Change | 296 |
Appendix 7 Nature and Theology | 300 |
Appendix 8 The Practical Syllogism | 302 |
Appendix 9 Pleasure and Process | 303 |
Appendix 10 Liturgies | 305 |
Appendix 11 Aristotle in the Middle Ages | 306 |
The Grounds of Friendship | 228 |
Pleasure and the Life of Happiness | 254 |
Appendix 1 Table of Virtues and Vices | 285 |
Appendix 2 Pythagoreanism | 287 |
Appendix 3 The Sophists and Socrates | 289 |
Glossary of Greek Words | 310 |
313 | |
316 | |
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Common terms and phrases
A. J. P. Kenny actions activity acts unjustly affection akrasia Appendix argument Aristotelian Aristotle Aristotle's Ethics become called character choice choose concerned conduct considered contemplation continent contrary courage deliberation desire discussion disposition doctrine enjoy equal eudaimonia eudaimonism Eudemian Ethics evil excess and deficiency fact faculty feelings friends friendship give Glossary Greek happiness Hence honour human ignorance Iliad illiberality implies incontinent injustice intellectual intellectual virtues involuntary J. O. Urmson judgement justice kind knowledge liberal licentious lives magnanimous matter mean meta-ethical moral virtue nature Nicomachean Ethics object one's Oxford particular perfect person philosophy Phronesis Plato pleasant pleasure and pain political possess practical praised presumably prodigal prudence qualities reason regard relation right principle sake seems sense share similarly sort soul Speusippus syllogism temperate theory of forms things thought timocracy truth unjust vice virtuous voluntary whereas word wrong
Popular passages
Page xl - And, whatever the world thinks, he who hath not much meditated upon God, the human mind, and the summum bonum, may possibly make a thriving earthworm, but will most indubitably make a sorry patriot and a sorry statesman.
Page xl - Essay, are not proposed as principles, but barely as hints to awaken and exercise the inquisitive reader, on points not beneath the attention of the ablest men. Those great men, Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle, the most consummate in politics, who founded states, or instructed princes, or wrote most accurately on public government, were at the same time most acute at all abstracted and sublime speculations ; the clearest light being ever necessary to guide the most important actions.