The Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle

The Nichomachean Ethics is a work authored by Aristotle, one of the greatest thinkers of all time. Aristotle was dispensed wisdom a millennium and a half before the Renaissance kicked into high gear. The Nichomachean Ethics features mind-blowing and head-scratching philosophy, which makes it a good piece of literature. However, the concepts in the book are difficult since Aristotle is developing a system of mind.

Furthermore, the author employs rhetorical tactics to convey his views, which necessitate a better comprehension of philosophy on the part of the reader. What fascinates me the most about Aristotle’s writing is his overachievement. In essence, this author is able to integrate ethics and politics through discussions of continuous series of lectures of the experience of humans in community. For instance, he moves from a discussion of how good the contemplative life is, into a rant about the education of those in political art.

Written around 350 BCE, the philosophies in Aristotle’s Ethics was not just for the ancient Greeks; the author was addressing all the humanity on the happiness. It is by many accounts the first systematic treatise on ethics ever written. Moreover, this book has been recognized as the most critical of Aristotle’s writing because it had a profound effect on medieval philosophy. Aristotle agrees that morality involves achieving harmony between emotions and reason through ethical inquiry.

Essentially, Aristotle wrote the Nicomachean Ethics in a manner recognizable by contemporary society since he had divided philosophy into branches. These departments included Metaphysics, Ethics, Logic, and Physics, an aspect that made him the principal founder of philosophy. Although Aristotle agrees with Plato’s argument concerning morality, he rejects Plato’s metaphysics and replaces it with his distinctive method for engaging in ethical inquiry (Aristotle, 2016). According to Aristotle, what differs humans from plants and animals is the ability to rationalize. Such arguments were the basis upon which Aristotle built his explicit and deliberate themes throughout the Nicomachean.

Aristotle is said to have presented the first comprehensive philosophical system in the western world. He invented formal logic, an area that remained unchanged for more than 2000 years. Aristotle does not involve any characters in the Nicomachean book; in the same way he does not talk about himself in any of his work. However, the Greek philosopher is known for spouting wisdom a full millennium and a half, before the Renaissance went higher. Additionally, it is known that Aristotle studied and taught at Plato’s Academy in Athens around 364 BC. Here he destroyed the Plato’s and Socrates’ observation and made them more practical to actual human experience. As a result, Aristotle became a central figure, especially in the Middle Ages, commonly being referred to as the philosopher. Aristotle also made significant changes in the field of physics and poetry (Bartlett, 2008). Of great importance is the Nicomachean Ethics, a book that remains relevant 2500 years later; it is still the most central works of moral theory.

Aristotle sought to give his audience conceptual and practical ideas in his discussions of the virtues. Therefore, he wrote his works in universal and specific terms in equal measure, with general terms being ephemeral. As a result, his writing often makes readers feel abstract or fuzzy; his talking becomes too complicated to comprehend. To be able to give excellent lectures, Aristotle searched out the origins of every action and traced their smallest consequences. In terms of themes, Aristotle uses happiness as a theme to explain ethics since it is complete in this way. In essence, happiness informs all decision, thereby becoming the proper theme to build an account of good virtual behavior. According to the author of the Nicomachean, anything that can be improved upon, such as pleasure, is incomplete; therefore, Aristotle rejects the idea that a life devoted to pleasure will bring happiness (Heinze, 2010). However, Aristotle notes that external forces can invade happiness, an aspect that proves that no one virtue alone will keep a person happy.

Aristotle’s ethics have never been outdated as its influence in any moral philosophy has always been acknowledged. Many schools in today’s society have relied on Aristotelian patterns to help them establish their views on happiness and moral excellence. Even in systems where virtue ethics is no longer the central perspective, Aristotle’s work has still been recognized to have played a significant role in contemporary ethics. Furthermore, his theory of happiness, which he presented in the Nicomachean Ethics is still relevant today, 2300 years later. The fundamental question evident in Aristotle’s book is the ultimate purpose of human existence. What is the end goal in life for which all people should direct all their activities? This concept is still relevant today since people are seeking wealth, pleasure, and good reputation (Aristotle, 2016). Although each of these aspects have their value, none of them can occupy the place of that which is always desirable.

The deeper knowledge I have gained by analyzing the Nicomachean has significantly altered my thoughts about the book being complicated to understand. Although the language used in this book is profound, one requires having a better understanding of philosophy to get the message. Additionally, I have realized that Aristotle sought to write the book for all humanity; as such, it was critical to ensure that people from the western world could read the book, and not only the ancient Greeks. I have also learned that this work was addressing an essential aspect of human existence. The purpose of life, and pursuing various activities in our daily lives should be happiness. It is the only virtue that provides satisfaction in itself, and never for the sake of something else. It is complete in that way since it is an end itself; this has made me appreciate more the work done by Aristotle in this book.

References

Aristotle (2016). The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle. Lanham, MD: Dancing Unicorn Books.

Bartlett, R. C. (2008). Aristotle’s introduction to the problem of happiness: On Book Ii of the Nicomachean Ethics. American Journal of Political Science, 52(3), pp. 677-687.

Heinze, E. (2010). The meta-ethics of law: Book one of Aristotle’s Nicomachean

Ethics. International Journal of Law in Context, 6(1), pp. 23-44.