Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle is a philosophical work that explores the nature of morality and how it can be achieved. It consists of ten books or scrolls, which are based on notes from his lectures at the Lyceum. The title is often assumed to refer to his son Nicomachus, to whom the work was dedicated or who may have edited it.

The main themes of the book are the pursuit of happiness, virtues and the mean, virtue and community life, and the political life versus the philosophical life. Aristotle argues that the virtuous person exhibits the joint excellence of reason and character.

He also states that recognizing the mean means recognizing the correct boundary-marker (horos) which defines the frontier of the mean. Practical ethics, having a good character, requires knowledge.

Aristotle also discusses the four components of Nicomachean Ethics: the life of gratification (pleasure, comfort, etc), the life of money-making, the life of (political) action, and the philosophical life, i.e., the life of contemplation or study. He also examines the various moral virtues and their corresponding vices.

The goal of the Ethics is to determine how best to achieve happiness. This study is necessarily imprecise, since so much depends on particular circumstances. Happiness depends on living in accordance with appropriate virtues. Virtue is a disposition rather than an activity.

Overall, Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle is a comprehensive exploration of the nature of morality and how it can be achieved. It emphasizes the importance of developing virtuous habits and understanding the mean in order to make the right choices when faced with ethical challenges.

Useful Takeaways

• The main themes of the book are the pursuit of happiness, virtues and the mean, virtue and community life, and the political life versus the philosophical life.
• Recognizing the mean means recognizing the correct boundary-marker (horos) which defines the frontier of the mean.
• Happiness depends on living in accordance with appropriate virtues.
• Developing virtuous habits and understanding the mean is essential for making the right choices when faced with ethical challenges.

What I Liked

I liked how approachable and readable Aristotle is. He’s a great primary source to start with in philosophy.

I loved how useful this book was. It’s the very rare ancient book that’s readable and still applicable to modern life. It sits alongside Seneca and Marcus Aurelius.

What I Did Not Like

Aristotle was still…of his time. And even in his time, he was one weird, opinionated dude. Reading the book for takeaways is still a process of gold mining – there’s a lot of mud and weird stuff to sift through.